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in^ UNITED STATES 
and ALASKA 


BY 

MILDRED HOUGHTON COMFORT 

M 

Author of Peter and Nancy in Mexico and Canada 
Peter and Nancy in South America 
Peter and Nancy in Australia 
Peter and Nancy in Europe 
Peter and Nancy in Africa 
Peter and Nancy in Asia 



BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 

CHICAGO 

























TO LAURA 

(Laura Bergemann Briggs) 


JUN 171940 

COPYRIGHT OFFICE 


COPYRIGHT deposit. 

Copyright, 1940, by 
BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 
All rights reserved 


Printed in the United States of America 




CONTENTS 


PAGE 


O 


Where the United States Began. 9 

Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown in 
Virginia 

Colonial Williamsburg. 20 

Williamsburg, Virginia 

Virginia, the Home of Presidents. 34 

Fredericksburg, Richmond, and the Countryside of 
Virginia 

The Cotton Country . 46 

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and 
Alabama 

Where the Sun Shines Bright . 65 

Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee 

Our Nation^s Capital. 87 

Washington, D. C., and Vicinity 

Where Freedom Is a Tradition . 104 

Maryland and Pennsylvania 

A Middle Atlantic Jaunt .^118 

Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Newy 
York \ 

The Giant City. 131 

New York City 

Two OF THE Original States . 148 

Connecticut and Rhode Island 

Historic Boston. 157 

Boston and Vicinity 


3 













4 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

A New England Vacation. 168 

New Hamphire, Maine, and Vermont 

A Long Jump Westward ... -.. 182 

From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Ohio, Michigan, 
Indiana, and Kentucky 

North Central Country. 205 

Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin 

The Windy City and Prairie State. 220 

Chicago and the State of Illinois 

Westward Ho from Chicago . 240 

Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, and Montana 

From Glaciers to Strawberries. 251 

Glacier National Park, Seattle in Washington, and 
Alaska 

Down the Long Pacific Coast . 275 

From Alaska to Washington and Oregon 

The Golden State. 286 

California 

Glorious Deserts. 300 

From California to Nevada, Utah, and Arizona 

A Long Plateau . 315 

New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming 

The Amazing Southwest . 329 

Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma 

Homeward Bound . 344 

To Minnesota by way of Kansas, Nebraska, South 
Dakota, and North Dakota 















LIST OF 

FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Mount Vernon. Frontispiece 

The Colonial Capitol. 81 

The Statue of Washington at Richmond. 38 

Memorial to Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. . 49 

The State Capitol of Georgia. 62 

The Singing Tower. 70 

Independence Hall in Philadelphia. 114 

The Liberty Bell. 116 

The Fishermen's Memorial at Gloucester. 164 

The Giant Sequoias . 301 

The Capitol at Austin . 335 

The Skyscraper Capitol on the Prairie. 353 


5 
















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SEE AMERICA FIRST! 


“OEE America first!” Peter and Nancy had 
O heard that famous slogan many, many times 
before it was actually possible for them to take 
advantage of it. But when Uncle Lee finally did 
make his plans, they proved to he most exciting. 

“We’ll start our journey where the United 
States began,” he declared, “and we’ll move west¬ 
ward just as our pioneer ancestors did.” 

Peter and Nancy want you to go with them on 
this journey—all of you who love America. You 
will visit all corners of our interesting and 
delightful country—East, West, North, South 
—and Alaska, too. You will see Washington, the 
capital of these United States, and other great 
eastern cities. Then, moving westward from the 
Atlantic Ocean as the early settlers did, you will 
reach the great Mississippi Valley. Led still by 
the spirit of adventure, you will travel over rich 
farm lands, great cities, vast deserts, and high 
mountains until you reach the blue Pacific. 

By train, by bus, by boat, by car, and by plane, 

you will follow the progress of your people from 

a tiny colony of men and women who believed 

in freedom to the great nation of today—^your 

America! „ a 

The Author 


7 


America for Me! 


’Tis fine to see the Old World, 
and travel up and down 
Among the famous palaces 
and cities of renown, 

To admire the crumbly castles 

and the statues of the kings,— 
But now I think I’ve had enough 
of antiquated things. 

So it^s home again^ and home again^ 
America for me! 

My heart is turning home again^ 
and there I long to be, 

In the land of youth and freedom 
beyond the ocean bars, 
fVhere the air is full of sunlight 
and the flag is full of stars. 

—Henry Van Dyke 


Used by permission of Charles Scribner’s Sons 


PETER AND NANCY IN THE 
UNITED STATES AND ALASKA 


WHERE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN 

A round noon of an early spring day a tall, 
- lean man whose keen face had been bronzed 
by much travel, stepped off the train at Wil¬ 
liamsburg, Virginia. He had once described 
himself as having “the same general shape and 
coast line as Uncle Sam.” Such a statement was 
obviously an exaggeration, but he did possess the 
same twinkling blue eyes that artists give that 
traditional figure. 

He turned to offer a hand to a teen-age girl 
who was so eager to be out on the platform that 
she might otherwise have stumbled. Her hair 
under a soft felt hat was softly waved. Her 
serious gray eyes were bright with anticipation. 
Behind her, his hands full of luggage, a boy 
shoved his way through the crowd of loitering 
passengers. He was tall but sturdy, with eyes 
like the man’s, and his uncovered head showed 
yellow curls that no comb could subdue. His 
voice was filled with excitement. 

“So this is where the United States began!” 


9 



10 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


^^Yes, Jamestown, near here, is the real birth¬ 
place of our country!” the girl agreed. always 
did like birthdays and birthplaces. This one is 
the most glorious birthplace of all—the birthplace 
of a nation, our own United States.” 

In spite of their enthusiasm, the three did 
not appear untraveled. Their hats were of the 
sort that withstands rain or snow. Their woolens 
were of the type that is guaranteed not to wrinkle. 
Their shoes indicated that walking must be one 
of their chief pleasures. And their luggage had 
the soft shabbiness of good leather that has had 
much and varied handling. 

An old negro in a shabby gray suit approached 
the trio, his black face lighting up with a broad 
smile. He whipped off his hat, and the sun 
shone on his woolly iron-gray head. 

‘^Mistah MacLaren, sah?” he inquired. ^^An' 
this heah^s Miss Nancy, sho’s Fs bawn! How 
do, Mistah Petah. I sho^s glad to see yo’ all. I 
sho is!” 

''Thanks, Jackson.” Three happy voices greeted 
the old negro, who had once been a servant in 
Mrs. MacLaren^s family. 

A few moments later the three MacLarens 
were seated in Jackson’s small taxicab. Almost 
immediately they found themselves on the main 
street of the town, which Uncle Lee said was 
about three-quarters of a mile long. It ran 



WHERE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN 


11 



James Sawders 

A COLONIAL PEWTER SHOP 


from William and Mary College at one end to the 
Capitol at the other end. 

“Duke of Gloucester Street!” Jackson an¬ 
nounced. 

“Williamsburg was named after William III!” 
Peter exclaimed, consulting his guidebook. “And 







12 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Duke of Gloucester Street was named after the 
eldest son of Queen Anne.” 

“Look, Peter!” Nancy was actually shouting. 
“Colonial store fronts! The same stores we have 
at home, but with a difference! No flapping 
signs or neon advertising, but names printed in 
dignified fashion above doors and windows! I 
knew that John D. Rockefeller had aided in re¬ 
storing the town to the Colonial period, but I had 
no idea the restoration would include grocery 
stores. Oh, Peter, look at the quaint houses and 
the patterned gardens! Uncle Lee, smell the 
magnolias! I shouldn’t be one bit surprised if a 
woman in a colonial costume walked right out 
of one of these houses.” 

Uncle Lee chuckled, for he knew that Nancy 
would see many farthingales, or hoop skirts, 
when she visited the restored houses. 

Down the street lined with beech and mag¬ 
nolia trees, past formal gardens with edgings of 
boxwood, and between sturdy houses of Georgian 
architecture and colonial design, went the car, 
stopping before the old Williamsburg Inn known 
as “The Annex.” 

“There is a modern Williamsburg inn which 
boasts air cooling and up-to-the-minute service,” 
Uncle Lee informed the children. “But I’ve 
chosen this old yellow house for its atmosphere 
and because it is the old inn.” 



WHERE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN 


13 


‘‘Not a bad idea/’ said Peter. 

In the office, which was merely a pleasant 
living room with a counter, Uncle Lee registered. 
There was a little fire in the grate—all that was 
necessary with the spring sun shining. 

“From Minnesota?” the old clerk remarked. 
“That’s a long way to come. Drive down?” 

“No, sir, we didn’t,” spoke up Peter, who stood 
beside Uncle Lee. “Father drove us as far as St. 
Paul. From there we went to Chicago on a beau¬ 
tiful new streamliner. Nancy liked it because the 
conductors wore carnations in their lapels just 
as if they were at a party. From Chicago we 
took another streamlined train to Washington. 
That was a thrill! I rode in the Diesel locomotive.” 

“I thought only engineers and Diesel engine 
mechanics rode in the cab,” the clerk teased. 

“As a rule, they do,” Peter acknowledged. “I 
was just plain lucky. One of the railway officials 
knows Uncle Lee, and he secured permission 
for me to ride up front. There were two engines 
of 1800 horsepower each. That’s an available 
horsepower of 3600.” 

“Which is quite a few horses,” the clerk agreed. 
“I understand that they run from seventy to a 
hundred miles an hour. Quite different from 
what Washington planned, of course.” 

“Washington?” Peter’s tone seemed to ask what 
Washington had to do with southern railways. 



14 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


“Yes, Washington, as a young surveyor, 
planned a transportation system for this area,^’ 
the clerk explained. “He worked out the route 
for what is now the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail¬ 
road, but it was planned for wagon roads and 
canals then.’’ 

Soon after lunch Jackson appeared to inform 
Uncle Lee that there would be time for a drive 
down to Jamestown before dinner. It was only 
six miles. 

The short drive was over a good road between 
patches of open woodland and tall evergreens. 
The land was low and swampy in places. A 
stretch of white-capped water came into view 
and Jackson stopped the car. 

“Where’s the town?” Peter demanded. “Do 
we walk to it?” 

“We’re in it!” announced Jackson. 

But there was, in fact, no town! The only 
building, besides the small new ones that housed 
the oil station, refreshment stands, and ticket 
office, was an old tower and chapel, ivy-mantled 
and decayed. But it dominated the landscape in 
the same way that a very old soldier would stand 
out in a crowd of young soldiers. And out there 
on the green slope stood the statues of Captain 
John Smith and Pocahontas. 

The tower in which the MacLarens soon found 
themselves was open to the sky. Its walls were 



WHERE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN 


15 


brick and were fully three feet thick. Uncle Lee 
said that it was practically indestructible and 
had been through fire and siege. Peter studied 
the loopholes through which Uncle Lee said the 
settlers used to stick their guns to fire down upon 
the Indians. 

‘^How could they ever get up so high?’' Peter 
asked. ‘‘With fire ladders?” 

“This tower has been a part of three build¬ 
ings,” Uncle Lee explained. “The floors have 
fallen through long ago. Nothing remains but 
this cold floor and the pewless chapel into which 
the tower opens, as you see. The Jamestown 
Church was built and destroyed many times. 
You can see three sets of foundations. The one 
of cobblestones supported the wooden building 
which was built about 1617. Before this there 
were two little chapels and it is thought that the 
Indian Princess, Pocahontas, was baptized and 
married to John Rolfe in one of them.” 

In the old churchyard there were graves which 
dated back three hundred years. Peter and Nancy 
stared at two graves that had once stood close 
to each other but had since been separated by a 
mighty sycamore tree. It had fastened itself 
to one of the stones, tilting it upward. 

“These are the graves of the Reverend James 
Blair, the founder of William and Mary College, 
and his wife, Sarah,” Uncle Lee said. 



16 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


“The story of Jamestown is best told in the 
words on the Congressional Memorial Monument 
over there: ‘A series of difficulties successfully 
surmounted.’ Man may surmount many diffi¬ 
culties in building a town, but the matter of 
geographical location is always a help or a handi¬ 
cap. You can see that the land is naturally low 
and swampy.” 

“There’s a good sea wall,” Peter pointed out. 

“That sea wall was built in 1907 by the United 
States Government,” Uncle Lee said. “In 1607, 
when the three little ships, the Sarah Constant, 
the Godspeed, and the Discovery arrived in Chesa¬ 
peake Bay and sailed up what is now the James 
River to land here, there was nothing but salt 
water and tides that receded to leave slime and 
marshland—and, I imagine, there were plenty 
of mosquitoes!” 

Peter and Nancy strolled out of the graveyard 
to look more closely at the statue of Captain 
John Smith, sword at his side, as he looked out 
over the shining water. Peter walked down to 
the bank of the James River, and, scooping up a 
little of the water in his hands, tasted it. 

“Salty!” he announced. “The tide brings in 
the salt water from the sea. I suppose that is 
why this is called tidewater country.” 

“Remember reading about those first few 
months in Virginia?” Nancy inquired of Peter. 



WHERE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN 


17 



Ewing Galloway 

STATUES OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS 

“The settlers said the water was salty at full tide 
and slimy at low tide. The poor water probably 
caused many of the deaths.” 

“That landing of adventurous, God-fearing 
English people on this soil,” Uncle Lee declared, 
“was one of the most important events in history. 
One hundred and five people in all! But from 
this small beginning a great nation was destined 
to grow. It was here in Virginia that our pres¬ 
ent form of government began, for these first 
settlers believed that all men were created free 






18 


PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


and equal and had a right to govern themselves.’’ 

Nancy looked about at the green slope v^ith its 
statues and its wreck of a church-fortress, and 
she became very sober. 

'^Somehow,” she observed wistfully, have 
always thought of Jamestown as still existing. 
So much has happened here! As Uncle Lee said, 
representative government began here, with the 
first Virginia Assembly in 1619. That form of 
government still endures even though we had to 
fight to maintain it, in the American Revolution. 
I do wish the town were standing or that it could 
be restored.” 

‘Tlans have been made for its restoration,” 
Uncle Lee said. ^^Some day we shall see a re¬ 
stored Jamestown as we see Williamsburg now.” 

Driving back toward Williamsburg, Uncle Lee 
suggested going to Yorktown, the scene of a 
famous battle in the American Revolution. 

Here they saw the great monument built of 
Maine granite and reaching more than a hundred 
feet into the air. Uncle Lee explained that it 
symbolized the victory of Yorktown which as¬ 
sured the independence of the United States. The 
cornerstone was laid in 1881, one hundred years 
after the surrender of Cornwallis. 

Returning to Williamsburg they had a leisurely 
southern dinner at the Inn—chicken and corn 
pone and pecan pie. As they ate. Uncle Lee told 



WHERE THE UNITED STATES BEGAN 


19 


of how forgotten Williamsburg had been before 
its restoration. 

^'Why did John D. Rockefeller choose to restore 
Williamsburg, Uncle Lee?’' Peter inquired. 

‘‘Because,” Uncle Lee answered thoughtfully, 
“I think he wanted people like you and Nancy to 
see the beauty and charm of their country’s 
beginnings. He wanted us to understand the 
fine patriotism of our ancestors and to have a 
better idea of their ‘high purpose and unselfish 
devotion to the common good.’ Liberty, so hard 
won, is worth keeping. 

“The restored buildings, with their fine old 
furniture, and the artistic gardens have done 
much to awaken an appreciation of good home 
architecture, design, and landscaping.” 

“What could be a more fitting symbol of a 
great period in the history of our United States!” 
exclaimed Nancy. 

“That’s what I say, Nancy,” Peter agreed. 
“But right now I can think of the United States 
only as a land of too much plenty,” he added, 
leaving his pecan pie unfinished. 



COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


T he next morning the MacLarens walked 
along old Duke of Gloucester Street toward 
William and Mary College. The sun was shining. 
The air was fragrant with magnolia, honeysuckle, 
and mimosa. Near certain houses the visitors 
caught the more familiar perfume of lilacs and 
garden roses. A bird sang sweetly as it fluttered 
up from a hedge of old-fashioned flowers into a 
bay tree. Every eighteenth-century house ap¬ 
peared neat and fresh and lovingly tended. 

^'When you first said 'restored,^ ’’ Peter confided 
to Uncle Lee, ‘T had a picture of myself walking 
around among patched ruins.^’ 

^^This doesn’t seem much like a museum,” 
Nancy added. ^Tamilies live in the colonial houses. 
Men sell things in the colonial stores. Classes 
meet in the famous Christopher Wren building 
on the campus. People go about just as we do at 
home, and I think that’s one of the most charm¬ 
ing things about Williamsburg.” 

Presently Uncle Lee announced, ^Well, here 
we are! There’s Richmond Road to your right 
and Jamestown Road to your left. Ahead is 
William and Mary College. Directly in front 
stands the Christopher Wren building.” 


20 


COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


21 



James Sawders 

THE WREN BUILDING AND STATUE OF LORD BOTETOURT 

On the way up the walk which led to this his¬ 
toric building, Peter paused to look at an old 
statue of an eighteenth-century gentleman wear¬ 
ing an elaborate costume and long cape. He 
seemed to demand attention. 

“Lord Botetourt,” Uncle Lee explained. “He 
was the most popular English governor. You’ll 
hear his name often in Williamsburg. He was 
greatly loved by the people of Virginia for the 
work which he did to make the English Govern¬ 
ment understand the point of view of the colonists. 




22 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


“Remember that Williamsburg, in those days, 
was a center of learning and aristocratic living. 
Some of our ancestors were not pioneers in the 
sense of seeking the simple life. The original 
population of this town—there were about two 
thousand people—consisted of the gentlefolk who 
had brought over traditions from the mother 
country, the merchants and master craftsmen, 
and the laborers, both white workers and negro 
slaves. In so-called ‘publick’ times, the population 
was about doubled.” 

“In public times?” Peter inquired. 

“Yes,” Uncle Lee explained. “In April and 
again in October when the Court sat and the 
Assembly met! A lot of business was done, and 
they had a lot of fun. Theatrical performances, 
balls, fireworks, and horse races filled the happy 
hours. Places like the Raleigh Tavern which we 
shall see, overflowed with patrons. Storekeepers 
worked from dawn to dusk, as did wigmakers 
and hairdressers. You can imagine the confusion 
and excitement.” 

“I’d like to have gone to college here in Colonial 
times,” Peter declared, staring up at the Chris¬ 
topher Wren building, the oldest college building 
in America. It was probably the only one in 
America that was actually designed by the noted 
English architect. Sir Christopher Wren. 

As Peter and Nancy stood on the historic cam- 



COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


23 


pus, Uncle Lee told them of the prominent part 
students of this college had played in the history 
of the United States. 

“Today we would regard colonial William and 
Mary College as one of the smallest of small col¬ 
leges,” he explained. “Yet she numbers among 
her graduates many famous men in history. 
There were, for instance, Jefferson, Monroe, and 
Tyler who later became presidents. Washington, 
although not a graduate, received his commission 
here as surveyor. Four signers of the Decla¬ 
ration of Independence and sixteen others who 
later became governors of Virginia were students 
here.” 

“What a record!” exclaimed Peter. 

“Bruton Parish Church is next on our calling 
list,” Nancy reminded Uncle Lee and Peter, as 
they left the campus. 

Soon they came to a simple brick building 
with a square tower on which was mounted a 
white wooden steeple. 

“That bell up there,” said Uncle Lee, “has rung 
on many important occasions, such as the repeal 
of the Stamp Act in 1766 and the surrender of 
Cornwallis. You’ll find the church richly fur¬ 
nished and dignified, for it was the official court 
church of Colonial Virginia.” 

There were tombstones in the shaded grave¬ 
yard around the church. The MacLarens dis- 



24 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


covered the graves of Martha Washington’s great- 
grandparents. The earliest date they saw was 
1678. 

As Peter and Nancy stepped out of the bright 
sunshine into the subdued light of the church, 
they felt the atmosphere of old, revered things, 
and they were not surprised to hear Uncle Lee 
whisper, “This church inherited the Communion 
silver from the Jamestown church. Also, Bruton 
Church inherited the minister in that parish. Dr. 
James Blair.” 

“The founder of William and Mary?” Nancy 
asked excitedly. “The same one whose grave 
we saw at Jamestown?” 

“The same,” replied Uncle Lee. 

Peter and Nancy learned from the sexton 
about the baptismal font which, according to 
tradition, was used in the baptism of Pocahontas 
at Jamestown. They saw the lectern given by 
Theodore Roosevelt and the beautiful Bible given 
by King Edward VII. Peter was most inter¬ 
ested in the parish register where Washington’s 
name appeared several times, in connection with 
the baptism of his slaves. 

Coming out of the church they were on the 
edge of the Palace Green. 

“We’ll have time to see the Governor’s Palace 
before lunch,” said Uncle Lee. “It has often been 
called the beauty spot of the restoration area.” 



COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


25 


Viewed from Duke of Gloucester Street, the 
Palace was a very handsome building of red 
brick with white trimmings, the iron gate invit¬ 
ing visitors .to the yards with their clipped red 
cedars. 

^^It looks just as it did when the seven colonial 
governors took up residence there,^’ Uncle Lee 
said as they strolled closer. ‘'The original palace 
was burned in 1781 while it was being used as 
a hospital for wounded American soldiers.’^ 

“But where did the architects get the infor¬ 
mation for building an exact reproduction?^’ 
Peter inquired. 

“That was a queer thing,” said Uncle Lee. 
“An old copperplate in Bodleian Library in Ox¬ 
ford, England, showed the Wren building, the 
Capitol, and the Palace, all in fine detail.” 

Rows of trees lined the approach to the Palace. 
The circle in front of the gate was called a turn¬ 
around in Colonial days. Uncle Lee said, and 
Nancy could easily imagine a lady in a farthin¬ 
gale and bonnet stepping out of a coach drawn 
by prancing horses. 

“Such a narrow entrance!” Nancy exclaimed 
as she and Peter followed Uncle Lee through 
the gate. 

“It may seem out of scale to you in these 
times,” said Uncle Lee, “but it was built narrow 
purposely for defense.” 



26 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

PALACE OF THE COLONIAL GOVERNORS 


A small separate building which was known as 
the Governor’s Office stood at the right of the gate. 
Here the Governor had transacted business for 
the colony. Another small building near it was 
called the Guard House. When soldiers were on 
duty as guards in Colonial days they used the 
building as a clubhouse. 

Of classic architecture the Governor’s Palace 
doubtless was, but to Peter and Nancy it was 
more than a mere architectural delight. It was 
pure adventure. 







COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


27 


''Even the color of paint is authentic,” Uncle 
Lee informed his charges. "Research workers 
scraped many a layer of paint from some of the 
old buildings to discover the lovely old blues and 
soft yellows of Colonial days.” 

Peter and Nancy stared long at the beautiful 
blue paper in the Supper Room, a blue so lovely 
that it reminded them of the earliest blue of 
crocuses that bloom on the hills of Minnesota 
while the snow is still lying in the cold valleys. 
On the paper were fascinatingly beautiful trees 
with white leaves, among which perched or flitted 
birds and butterflies. It formed a charming 
background for the mahogany and silver. Piled 
on a large silver centerpiece were colorful fruits, 
their fragrance like flowers in the room. 

Thrilled, the children wandered from room to 
room, filling their minds with the elegant details 
of the Palace—fine fireplaces, mahogany high¬ 
boys, coffee tables, and sparkling chandeliers with 
prisms and with hurricane shades to protect the 
candles from the wind. 

At last Uncle Lee persuaded them to leave the 
building and walk down the steps. Some of the 
bricks forming the steps had belonged to the 
original Palace. Thus he led the way to the 
gardens. 

"The most famous colonial gardens in all 
America!” he exclaimed. 



28 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


To Peter and Nancy the terraces, the arbors, 
and the formal gardens were but part of the 
whole picture of the Palace, so lovely that it all 
seemed unreal. They strolled with Uncle Lee to 
the canal where the overhanging willows, the 
white dogwood, the redbuds, and the pines made 
a choice spot from which to view the gardens. 

A little away from the main gardens was a 
small open green containing the graves of some 
Revolutionary soldiers. A large weeping willow 
tree mourned gracefully above them. 

The garden off the ballroom of the Palace de¬ 
lighted Peter. Here clipped red cedars rose high 
or bent low to enclose beds of roses. The tall 
cedars had been clipped. Uncle Lee said, to imi¬ 
tate English yew. 

From a higher point in the garden, Peter and 
Nancy looked down over the whole beautiful 
scene. They were quite surprised to learn that 
beneath them was a storage cellar for ice. 

“This was before the days of electrical refrig¬ 
eration,” Uncle Lee commented, bringing them 
back to the present. 

They descended, laughing, and strolled along 
the canal to the kitchen of the estate, which was 
a separate building. Here an old negro woman 
delighted Peter and Nancy by showing them how 
cooking was done in Colonial times when there 
were only fireplaces and no stoves. She chuckled 



COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


29 


and rocked with merriment when they failed to 
guess the uses of her queer potato masher and 
apple peeler. She showed them the spit on which 
the meat was turned and the great iron kettle in 
which bread was baked by putting coals on the 
cover. And she explained how food was carried, 
steaming hot, to the Palace over pans of hot 
water into which the pots and pans fitted. As 
she talked of the great feasts, the children grew 
more and more hungry, and Uncle Lee himself 
seemed perfectly willing to walk rapidly on the 
way back to the Inn. 

After enjoying a dinner at which Virginia 
ham was served, the MacLarens strolled east¬ 
ward on Duke of Gloucester Street. But before 
entering the Capitol, they turned aside to visit 
the Old Jail nearby. 

There the jailer, in colonial costume of blue 
breeches, full white-sleeved shirt, white socks, and 
shoes with buckles, showed the MacLarens 
through the cells and the barren rooms where 
prisoners had often been secured with handcuffs 
and leg irons. 

Coming out into the sunlight, they saw the pil¬ 
lory in which a prisoner’s head and hands were 
confined and the stocks in which his legs were 
fastened. While a person sat in the stocks, the 
jailer said, he was often a target for sticks and 
stones and over-ripe fruits and vegetables. 



30 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


After the solemn jail atmosphere, it was in¬ 
spiring to behold the dignified Capitol with its 
lovely paper mulberry trees. 

The MacLarens learned that the Capitol, built 
originally in 1705, had been restored accurately 
even to the coverings on the benches and the 
kind of tacks used. Portraits and books of the 
period had been placed in the proper rooms. The 
richly furnished rooms in which the Burgesses 
met had been refurnished accurately through in¬ 
ventories which had been found in old files. 

Leaving the Capitol, the three paid a brief visit 
to Raleigh Tavern, which Uncle Lee said was 
the most historic tavern in America. There they 
sat down to rest on antique chairs set at antique 
tables. 

‘'For a century and a half, this was the most 
celebrated tavern in Virginia,’’ commented Uncle 
Lee. “George Washington and Thomas Jeffer¬ 
son were among those frequently present at 
gatherings held here.” 

After a short call at Ludwell-Paradise House 
with its fine eighteenth-century furniture and 
collection of American folk art, the MacLarens 
went to see the Powder Magazine where once had 
been stored the arms and ammunition of Virginia 
Colony. 

Evening came as they strolled along Duke of 
Gloucester Street, and the sun sent its red rays 




Ewing Galloway 


THE COLONIAL CAPITOL 







32 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 


THE RALEIGH TAVERN 

over the quaintly beautiful houses and the formal 
gardens. 

“Strange,” Peter mused, “that geographical 
location could make such a difference. I’m really 
glad that Jamestown was low and unhealthful. 
Otherwise Middle Plantation would never have 
been settled.” 

“The picture of the past which the restored 
Williamsburg presents, gives us fine architecture, 
furnishings, and landscapes to admire and en¬ 
joy,” added Uncle Lee. “It also impresses upon 








COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG 


33 


US the fact that many changes have come about 
since Colonial times. In those days people did 
with their hands much of the work that we now 
do with machines. Instead of driving many miles 
over paved roads to amusements offered by the 
modern city, these early colonists enjoyed the 
simple pleasures offered by their own community. 
Instead of cooking by gas and electricity, they 
prepared their meals over blazing logs in open 
fireplaces.^^ 



VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


I N WILLIAMSBURG the MacLarens had seen 
a town whose colonial splendor had been re¬ 
stored. But what would Fredericksburg be like? 
Peter and Nancy discussed it as they rode toward 
that historic little town next morning. 

The road followed the winding river, the Rap¬ 
pahannock, and eventually led to Ferry Farm 
where Washington had spent his boyhood days. 

^^Rappahannock is a queer name for a river,’^ 
Peter said. 

^Tt comes from the Indian, meaning the ^Alter¬ 
nating River,^ Uncle Lee explained. “Below 
the falls here at Fredericksburg, the tides flow 
in and out. The name is accurate.’’ 

The level little town of Fredericksburg lay in 
a valley between low-lying hills. It looked very 
peaceful. 

Geographically, Uncle Lee said, Virginia had 
much. There was the tidewater country with 
its fishing and its gardening. There were the 
plains farther inland for the growing of grain 
and raising of cattle. There were the Blue Ridge 
Mountains. And there were farms and orchards. 

“Fredericksburg is located halfway between 
Washington, which was the capital of the Union,” 


34 


VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


35 



THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY IN VIRGINIA 

Uncle Lee explained, ^‘and Richmond, which was 
the capital of the Confederate States. This par¬ 
tially accounts for the fact that it became the 
scene of a mighty struggle between northern 
and southern armies.^’ 

Uncle Lee parked the car and led the way past 
St. George^s Church, which had been the church 
of the Washington family and of James Monroe. 
A little farther on they paused for a moment 
before the old Masonic Lodge building in which 
Washington was initiated. 






36 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


The MacLarens then visited the small red brick 
building that was once James Monroe’s law 
office. Peter was most impressed with the worn 
law books and the desk on which the fifth Presi¬ 
dent of the United States wrote the Monroe 
Doctrine. 

Nancy seemed delighted with the green velvet 
court dress that James Monroe wore at the court 
of Napoleon, and Mrs. Monroe’s brocaded gowns 
worn in the courts of Europe. Both children 
laughed at the huge umbrella that Uncle Lee 
said had been presented to Monroe by the city of 
Boston in 1824 when there were very few um¬ 
brellas in America. 

After leaving the James Monroe law office, 
the MacLarens saw the old slave block. It was 
said that before the War between the States 
many negro slaves had been sold or exchanged 
on this stone. 

Nancy was fascinated by the little house in 
which George Washington’s mother had lived 
for many years. It was here that Washington 
had said good-by to his mother before going to 
New York to be inaugurated as President. 

Just beyond Mary Washington’s house. Uncle 
Lee and Peter and Nancy stopped under the 
famous horse-chestnut tree, the only remaining 
tree of the thirteen planted by George Washington 
in memory of the thirteen original colonies. 



VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


37 



James Sawders 


THE HOME OF WASHINGTON’S MOTHER 

Then they strolled out to Kenmore, the home 
of Betty Lewis, who was George Washington's 
sister. Kenmore was a fine brick mansion, 
famous for its exquisite ceilings and its mantel 
decorations designed by Washington and built 
by Hessian prisoners. In the Great Room, Peter 
and Nancy stared long at the ceiling which rep¬ 
resented the Four Horns of Plenty. The plaque 
over the mantel held their attention, too, for it 
told Aesop’s fable of the Fox and the Crow. 
Uncle Lee said Washington designed it as a 









James Sawders 

THE STATUE OF WASHINGTON AT RICHMOND 












VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


39 


lesson to the Lewis children to beware of flattery. 

The MacLarens next visited the Rising Sun 
Tavern, a comfortable place in which were held 
the political conferences so necessary around 1775. 

Later a hospitable young couple drove the Mac¬ 
Larens out to see the famous Sunken Road. On 
the trip they pointed out a new cellophane fac¬ 
tory, both proudly and regretfully, for the old 
South of fine plantations was gradually dis¬ 
appearing. 

Sunken Road led past the house of the south¬ 
ern woman who all through the battle of Fred¬ 
ericksburg made coffee and doughnuts for the 
soldiers of both armies. In the beautiful woods, 
white with dogwood and shiny green with holly, 
the restored trenches of that long-ago battle were 
plainly visible. And all through the woods stood 
the trees which had been damaged by shellfire. 

The little party went to Richmond next morn¬ 
ing. The Richmond through which the Mac¬ 
Larens drove was anything but a pioneer town. 
A beautiful city of tree-lined streets above the 
mighty James River, it proudly presented a glori¬ 
ous past in its monuments of Washington, Robert 
E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson. 
These statues told Peter and Nancy a story of 
great men and their accomplishments. 

Uncle Lee said that Richmond and its suburbs 
had a population of over 200,000 people and 



40 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH 


that its Tobacco Row was famous the world over. 

Peter’s pulse quickened as he observed that 
Uncle Lee was stopping the car at the estate that 
housed the aged Confederate soldiers. It was 
not the rambling buildings of the Old Soldiers’ 
Home that thrilled him but the sight of the very 
old men who had taken part in the War. Peter 
patted ^^Old Sorrel,” the horse which Stonewall 
Jackson rode when mortally wounded. Old Sorrel 
had lived at the Home for years and after he 
died a taxidermist mounted him. 








VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


41 



Ewing Galloway 

THE HISTORIC CAPITOL AT RICHMOND 

When Peter shook hands with the oldest of 
the Confederates, the old man offered to show 
Richmond to him. 

Sitting between Peter and Nancy in the back 
seat of the car, he pointed out the Poe Shrine, a 
simple little cottage with quaint dormer win¬ 
dows, where the well-known American poet and 
story writer, Edgar Allan Poe, had lived. 

They stopped at St. John’s Church. Inside the 
church the sexton showed them the pew where 
Patrick Henry exclaimed, ^‘Give me liberty, or 





42 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



THE CONFEDERATE MUSEUM AT RICHMOND 

give me death as he urged the American colo¬ 
nists to break away from a country that believed 
in taxation without full representation. 

Then with the old soldier they saw the historic 
Capitol, one of the oldest in the United States. 
It was a beautiful building, the plans for which 
were obtained in Paris, France, by Thomas 
Jefferson. In the rotunda Peter and Nancy 
stared delightedly at the famous Houdon life- 
size statue of Washington, the only one for which 
the Father of Our Country ever posed. 





VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


43 


There followed many other visits, including a 
few hours in Battle Abbey, the Confederate 
Museum, formerly the White House of the Con¬ 
federacy, and the John Marshall House. 

Richmond, rich in history and in progress, 
had to be left behind next morning as Uncle Lee 
turned south to take Peter and Nancy on through 
Virginia. 

Beyond Richmond they drove through the 
Piedmont Plateau. These lands. Uncle Lee ex¬ 
plained, comprised the rolling country between 
the coastal plain and the mountains. South of 
the James River tobacco was the usual crop. 
Then, as the country became more hilly and 
rough, apple orchards came into view. 

Presently the river narrowed. Nancy exclaimed 
at some lovely falls, as the trail led through a 
gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains where the haze 
was so blue that Peter and Nancy felt that this 
name was a most natural one. 

A little later they found themselves in Jef¬ 
ferson National Forest, a place of enchantment 
with its invigorating air, refreshing springs, and 
inviting trails. While Peter and Nancy gazed in 
awe at the great Natural Bridge which rose more 
than two hundred feet in the air. Uncle Lee told 
them that Thomas Jefferson who owned this 
bridge for many years had called it one of the 
most sublime curiosities in nature. 





44 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


At Charlottesville the MacLarens saw the Uni¬ 
versity of Virginia which had been planned by 
Jeiferson. They also visited Monticello, Jeffer¬ 
son’s home for more than fifty years. Uncle 
Lee said that it was one of the finest residences 
in the South. 

“This is the famous Shenandoah Valley!” Uncle 
Lee announced, as they drove on. 

The turnpike led up over one ridge and down 
another. Nancy, looking at the map, laughed at 
the odd names of the rivers, Calfpasture and 
Cowpasture, among others. 

As Uncle Lee drove along the Skyline Drive, 
he pointed out Old Stony Man, a mountain that 
looked proudly down on the Shenandoah National 
Park, famous for its woods, its caves, and its 
endless trails. 

On through Virginia went the MacLarens. 
Everywhere Peter and Nancy saw fine horses, 
cattle, and other kinds of livestock. Nowhere did 
they enjoy better food. They became used to 
Smithfield hams, to Lynnhaven and Seatag oys¬ 
ters, to Norfolk spots, a kind of fish, and to Suffolk 
peanuts. Albemarle pippins and Old Virginia 
winesaps were both good eating apples. Eastern 
Shore potatoes, the MacLarens learned, made up 
most of the supply of early potatoes needed in 
the East. And Nomini tomatoes were famous 
for their flavor. 



VIRGINIA, THE HOME OF PRESIDENTS 


45 


Newport News was known for its shipbuilding 
plant and dry dock. Hampton Roads, which the 
MacLarens learned served Norfolk and Newport 
News, was an important highway of commerce. 
Langley Field, near Hampton, was one of the 
nation’s most important schools of aviation. 

In Richmond, where they had just visited, was 
one of the largest woodworking plants in the 
world, one of the largest baking-powder factories, 
and a huge cigar factory. Petersburg boasted 
a large trunk and traveling-bag industry, and 
Altavista was proud of its cedar chest factory. 
The textile industry was growing rapidly, and 
everywhere wheels were turning. 

To the MacLarens the finest product of all was 
the courage and ability that had enabled these 
fellow Americans to build a rich and successful 
state. 



THE COTTON COUNTRY 


T he next morning Uncle Lee announced, 
‘Today, we’ll be driving into cotton country 
—North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and 
Alabama. That’s one thing we don’t raise in 
Minnesota—cotton!” 

“What does cotton need that Minnesota doesn’t 
have. Uncle Lee?” asked Nancy. 

“Cotton,” Uncle Lee explained, “demands seven 
or more months without frost, and long hours of 
sunshine. At the same time, it can’t stand much 
moisture.” 

On their way farther south the MacLarens 
saw many farmers planting cotton seed. In some 
places sprouts had already come through the 
ground. Uncle Lee said that, several months 
after the cotton was planted, creamy-white or 
yellow flowers would appear. He declared that 
these flowers would become red and then the fleld 
would look like a rose garden. But in a short 
time the blossoms would drop off and the bolls 
of cotton would appear. 

“Peter, we simply must see a fleld of cotton 
before we go home,” Nancy said, as the car 
traveled along the sunny road. “I suppose it 
looks like snow.” 


46 


THE COTTON COUNTRY 


47 



PICKING COTTON ON A SOUTHERN PLANTATION 

‘^Not exactly/’ Uncle Lee grinned. ^The green 
bolls, which look like walnuts with the husks on, 
burst open only when the cotton is ripe. The 
masses of snowy-white lint then come out very 
easily. Inside are the cotton seeds, dark brown 
and about the size of lemon seeds. Of course, 
all the bolls do not open at once, and in picking 
the cotton the fields have to be gone over several 
times. This work is done in the late summer and 
early fall. You’ll see plenty of cotton fields before 
we leave the South.” 

‘Tt must be fun to heap the soft, white fluff 
into baskets,” Nancy said. ‘T’ve seen pictures of 


James Sawders 



48 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


it being carried to a cotton gin by wagonloads. 
In school we studied about Eli Whitney and his 
cotton gin that separated the seeds from the lint.^^ 

‘‘After the seeds and lint are separated, the 
cotton is baled,Peter added, “and sold on the 
market. It seems queer to think that once upon 
a time the seeds were thrown away. Now we use 
cottonseed oil in many things, from salad to soap. 
Eemember when we were West, Nancy, how 
Uncle fed cottonseed cake to the cattle in winter? 
Sheep like it, too.” 

“The cake is made from the crushed seeds,” 
Uncle Lee explained. “But even the husks are 
good as fertilizer. Take it all in all, cotton de¬ 
serves to be called King of the South.” 

As they were driving toward the home of a 
friend in the North Carolina lowlands. Uncle 
Lee spoke of Kitty Hawk. 

“Kitty Hawk?” questioned Peter and Nancy. 

“Yes, the place where the Wright brothers 
made the first successful airplane flight,” ex¬ 
plained Uncle Lee. “They had worked for several 
years to make an airplane that would fly. At 
last, in 1903, they succeeded, and as a result 
Kitty Hawk has become known all over the 
world.” 

When they reached their destination that even¬ 
ing, Peter and Nancy were surprised to learn that 
they were on a rice plantation. 




James Sawders 

MEMORIAL TO WRIGHT BROTHERS AT KITTY HAWK 





50 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


The next morning they ate breakfast in a 
sunny room, and Nancy could not help remark¬ 
ing about the attractive and colorful dishes on 
which the meal was served. Her hostess informed 
her that North Carolina kaolin, the purest form 
of clay, was used in making them. 

^‘Do tell us something about the raising of rice 
on your plantation,’^ Nancy asked their host. 

^‘Our method of raising rice is much different 
from that used in Japan and China,” the planta¬ 
tion owner began. ^Tn those countries nearly all 
of the work is done by hand. We do it by 
machine. At planting time the seed is sown by 
machine, and when the crop is ready to be har¬ 
vested, great harvesters reap the grain.” 

understand that great quantities of water 
are needed for rice during the growing period. 
How do you manage that?” questioned Uncle Lee. 

‘We have powerful pumps which raise the 
water from wells and distribute it over the fields 
which, as you know, are all on level ground,” 
replied their host. 

“Now I understand why rice can be raised 
more cheaply in the United States than in China 
and Japan,” said Peter. “Although the workers 
in those countries receive only a small amount of 
pay, yet it costs less to produce the rice here be¬ 
cause the machines used on our plantations can 
do the work of so many men.” 



THE COTTON COUNTRY 


51 


As the MacLarens drove on, Uncle Lee pointed 
out one beautiful plantation after another, big 
houses and stately mansions with balconies and 
tall, white pillars. These big plantations, he told 
Peter and Nancy, supplied the mills with the raw 
materials from which cotton cloth and many 
other articles were manufactured. 

^^Most of the cotton mills used to be in the 
northeastern states,'' Uncle Lee explained. ''Now 
almost half of them are located in the four states 
of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and 
Alabama, where much cotton is raised." 

Uncle Lee also observed that North Carolina 
was geographically much like Virginia. There 
were the broad coastal plain, the Appalachian 
Highland region, and the Piedmont area. Uncle 
Lee said that the word Piedmont meant "at the 
foot of the mountain." 

As they drove into Raleigh, Uncle Lee com¬ 
mented, "Now you'll see what North Carolina's 
capital has to offer in the way of beauty and 
interest." 

Peter and Nancy were much impressed with 
Raleigh's famous Capitol Park. It was located in 
the center of the city on the highest ground. The 
Capitol with its lovely Doric portico was built of 
native granite. Uncle Lee told Peter and Nancy 
that it was built in 1840, about a hundred years 
ago. Not far away could be seen other modern 



52 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

THE CAPITOL AT RALEIGH 


State buildings and the Governor’s mansion with 
its carefully tended grounds. 

In Pullen Park the MacLarens saw the house 
in which Andrew Johnson, seventeenth President 
of the United States, was born. 

That evening Uncle Lee told Peter and Nancy 
about St. Augustine’s College and Shaw Uni¬ 
versity, two of the oldest schools in the South 
for the higher education of negroes. 

^T’m sorry we can’t see both of those famous 
schools, for they are doing some splendid work,” 
he said. ^‘But our schedule says that we’re start¬ 
ing for Asheville tomorrow morning.” 

When the MacLarens reached Asheville, they 





THE COTTON COUNTRY 


53 


felt amply rewarded for the long drive on which 
they had started so early that morning. This 
picturesque city, so famous for its resorts, was 
located at the junction of two rivers and was 
surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery. 
There were so many interesting things to enjoy 
that Peter said they ought to stay several days. 

'It would take more than several days to do 
everything one would like to do here,” said 
Nancy. "We could spend weeks enjoying the 
mountain scenery.” 

Just before leaving the city, the MacLarens 
drove out to Biltmore where they saw the home 
of the late George W. Vanderbilt. Uncle Lee 
told Peter and Nancy that the estate originally 
contained 125,000 acres, but that a large part of 
it had been deeded to the government and was 
now a part of the Pisgah National Forest. 

"On to Charlotte!” shouted Peter, as they drove 
out of Asheville and started toward the largest 
city in the Carolinas. 

As the MacLarens drove into Charlotte, they 
enjoyed its fine old atmosphere with quaint streets 
and well-constructed homes. And when Uncle 
Lee reminded them that the famous Mecklenburg 
Declaration of Independence was signed here a 
year before the other colonies signed, Peter and 
Nancy began to realize that here, too, was a 
beginning of the United States. 



54 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


They visited several textile mills with Uncle 
Lee and were not surprised to learn that this 
section of the country used great quantities of 
cotton in manufacturing. 

''Good place to stock up on dress goods/' Nancy 
declared. 

Uncle Lee told them of Greensboro, a city 
at the edge of the Piedmont, and an important 
railway and manufacturing center. Its mills, 
he said, made denim, overalls, silk hosiery, and 
other things. 

"No shortage on overalls as long as Greensboro 
keeps manufacturing them!" Peter declared. 

"If we were driving down the coast we'd visit 
Wilmington and its excellent fresh-water har¬ 
bor," said Uncle Lee. "Wilmington is an impor¬ 
tant commercial center and is located in a very 
rich farming section. You've never eaten finer 
vegetables than those raised around Wilmington." 

"But since we're not driving toward the coast, 
our next stop will not be Wilmington," sighed 
Nancy. 

"No," said Uncle Lee, "we'll see Columbia, the 
capital city of South Carolina next." 

As the MacLarens traveled along, they saw so 
many long-needled pine trees that they forever 
afterward associated them with South Carolina. 

As they neared Columbia, Nancy called atten¬ 
tion to its beautiful location. From its position 



THE COTTON COUNTRY 


55 



on a bluff, it looked down upon the rippling 
waters of the Congaree River. 

Driving through the wide streets of Columbia, 
Uncle Lee spoke of the tall trees and the fine 
buildings which made the city attractive. He told 
Peter and Nancy about the manufacturing of 
large amounts of cotton goods, cottonseed oil, 
fertilizer, and machinery, and described the rich 
agricultural and forest district which surrounded 
the city. 


Ewing Galloway 

A COTTON MILL IN SOUTH CAROLINA 




56 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


When they stopped at the Capitol grounds 
Peter remarked, “IVe never seen prettier trees 
than the ones around the Capitol. I wonder how 
many different kinds there are.’’ 

^'It is said that there are over fifty species on 
the grounds,” Uncle Lee informed him. 

Both Peter and Nancy were quick to observe 
that the granite State Capitol closely resembled 
the National Capitol at Washington. 

The MacLarens spent the night in Columbia 
and were on their way again early the next 
morning. 

'‘We’ll drive to Charleston today,” Uncle Lee 
decided. "Do you know that the first permanent 
settlement in South Carolina was made by the 
English in 1670? After ten years, the settlers 
moved to the present site of Charleston. You 
can see that it was the rich, low land that drew 
them, since they had begun to raise rice and 
indigo. Charleston is today the largest city and 
the chief seaport in the state. You’ll find it a 
busy place.” 

They stopped at some of the famous magnolia 
gardens, which Nancy declared were so beautiful 
that she would never forget them. 

Charleston proved to be one of the most interest¬ 
ing and historic cities the MacLarens had visited. 
They drove out to the aged harbor fortifications 
and looked into the busy harbor where there were 



THE COTTON COUNTRY 


57 



James Sawders 

MAGNOLIA GARDENS NEAR CHARLESTON 


ships from all over the world. At the lower end 
of the peninsula they viewed live oaks and pal¬ 
mettos of the White Point Gardens. 

Driving on down the coast into Georgia, the 
MacLarens remembered the north part of the 
state was all ^‘up hill and down dale,^^ as Peter 
expressed it. 

'The Appalachian Mountains are in the north¬ 
eastern corner of the state,Uncle Lee explained. 
"It^s a country of blue lakes and waterfalls. 





58 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


There are mountains in the northwest corner, 
too, but through the central part run broad, 
rounded sandstone ridges. These ridges are cut 
through by rich valleys. 

wish we had time to explore the Okefenokee 
Swamp, with its moss-hung cypress trees and 
great pine trees,’^ Uncle Lee remarked. ^^You 
should see the bears, otters, wildcats, and rac¬ 
coons ; and you’d like the birds, the swallow-tailed 
kite, the long-legged cranes, and the various war¬ 
blers. rd like to be there when the farmers plant 
corn in April and when the boys come in with 
their strings of fish. Of course I haven’t seen 
a great deal of this swamp, because it’s about 
the largest swamp in the United States, cover¬ 
ing seven hundred square miles. There are some 
pretty swampy places in the valleys of the red 
hill region in southwest Georgia, too. But you 
won’t have to worry about snakes and alligators 
and quicksand where we’re going.” 

As the MacLarens drove toward Savannah they 
saw acres and acres of peach trees. 

'Too bad peaches aren’t in season,” said Uncle 
Lee, as they approached Georgia’s second-largest 
city. "Last time I was in Savannah I ate peaches 
that must have weighed a pound apiece! But 
you’ll find that Savannah is noted for other things 
besides excellent peaches.” 

"At school we learned that the city was first 



THE COTTON COUNTRY 


59 



James Sawders 

THE ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AT SAVANNAH 

planned by James Oglethorpe,” Peter remarked. 

“And it has retained and extended that same 
city plan,” continued Uncle Lee. 

The MacLarens found the broad streets and 
grassy squares of Savannah delightful, and they 
were thrilled by its numerous places of historic 
interest. 

“It’s easy to understand why Savannah is a 
noted city,” Nancy decided, after they had 
visited a few of its many historic spots. “We’ve 
been here only a short time, and we’ve seen the 









60 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


spot where James Oglethorpe first pitched his 
tent, the church where John Wesley started the 
first Protestant Sunday School in America, and 
the oldest brick house in Georgia/^ 

''But Savannah doesn't have to depend upon 
history for fame," added Peter. "It is one of the 
chief ports of the South and an important manu¬ 
facturing city, too." 

"Now that we've seen the second-largest city 
in Georgia, we must see the largest. It's the capi¬ 
tal city," said Uncle Lee on the following morning. 

"Atlanta!" Peter and Nancy both guessed. 

"Atlanta," Uncle Lee informed Peter and 
Nancy, "is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge 
Mountains, near the Chattahoochee River, and, 
when you see it, you won't wonder why more than 
300,000 people have decided to live there." 

Uncle Lee called Atlanta the "Gate City of the 
South." The trains, laden with cotton and cotton 
goods, cottonseed oil, tobacco, grain, fertilizer, and 
mules, were evidence of Georgia's crops and 
Atlanta's industries. 

"Since there's no easy way to cross the moun¬ 
tains," Uncle Lee continued, "the railroads of the 
Appalachian Valley and the Piedmont lands meet 
at Atlanta. Steel rails run into the city from the 
Atlantic and Gulf ports as well." 

Peter and Nancy were not surprised at the 
number of factories in Atlanta. It was located 



THE COTTON COUNTRY 


61 


near supplies of cotton, timber, iron ore, and coal. 

Nor were they surprised to find such universi¬ 
ties as the Georgia Institute of Technology, 
Emory University, and Oglethorpe University. 
There were famous negro schools, too—such as 
Atlanta and Clark universities. And Peter and 
Nancy admired Atlanta’s beautiful homes and 
modern apartment houses, its churches, art muse¬ 
ums, and hotels. Best of all was Peachtree Road. 

It happened that the trees were in full bloom 
on the day the MacLarens drove through Druid 
Hills and out on the street of blossoming trees. 
The exquisite pink color, the fragrance, and the 
beauty in the parks along the famous road made 
one of the loveliest pictures in the MacLaren 
memory book. 

Leaving Atlanta for Birmingham, the largest 
city in Alabama, the MacLarens drove through 
broad farm lands and mountainous country. 

'^Alabama has a great many rivers and navi¬ 
gable streams,” Uncle Lee said. “You’ll see 
plenty of business on the streams as well as on 
the railways. You see, this state produces so 
much cotton that it is known as the Uotton State.’ 
There is plenty of dairying here, too. The valley 
of the Tennessee River is known for its cereals, 
vegetables, and fruits. Pecans are plentiful. 
Oranges grow along the Gulf Coast. The wire 
grass of the southeast is famous for fine hog 




Ewing Galloway 

THE STATE CAPITOL OF GEORGIA 





THE COTTON COUNTRY 


63 



Ewing Galloway 

THE BUSINESS DISTRICT OF BIRMINGHAM 

food, and the many different crops raised are 
giving Alabama the reputation of being a state 
that has everything/^ 

Birmingham lay partly in a valley and partly 
on the side of Red Mountain. Many of its resi¬ 
dences spread over the mountain slopes. The 
business section included fine office buildings, 
stores, and hotels. The industrial section showed 
its importance in the production of iron and steel. 

''Birmingham, often called the 'Iron City,’ grew 
up where two railways crossed,” Uncle Lee ex- 











64 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


plained. “It’s the South’s leading industrial 
center. I’ve been told that there are more than 
seven hundred mills, mines, and factories in this 
district. The Warrior River carries many of 
Birmingham’s products down to the Gulf.” 

After a day in Birmingham the party drove 
down to the lovely old Capitol at Montgomery, and 
later to Mobile with its moss-festooned oaks, its 
beautiful homes, and its busy docks. Peter and 
Nancy had their fill of shrimp, oysters, and other 
sea foods. They watched the great boats and 
barges laden with bales of cotton and other prod¬ 
uce steaming out on long voyages. 

“De Soto would be quite amazed if he should 
see Alabama today,” Peter remarked. 

“Some things would still be the same,” Nancy 
mused. “The mocking birds would still be sing¬ 
ing in the wisteria vines, and the country would 
be vivid with azaleas.” 

“Yes,” Uncle Lee agreed. “And if De Soto were 
living today he wouldn’t have to worry about 
Muscle Shoals in the north of the state! The 
Wilson Dam gets enough power from the rapids 
of the Tennessee River to run manufacturing 
plants in cities over a hundred miles away. 
Nitrate plants are doing a thriving business 
already.” 

“These cotton states,” Peter decided, “seem to 
be doing a lot besides raising cotton.” 



WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 

“ll/rOST of the ‘snow birds’ have already left 
IVL Florida,” Uncle Lee announced as they 
crossed the Alabama line and drove toward Talla¬ 
hassee, Florida. “We’re a little late in getting 
here. Tourists begin to arrive in November, and 
by Christmas they are crowding every means of 
transportation.” 

“I should think the country would be crowded,” 
said Nancy. 

“It is crowded, delightfully so,” Uncle Lee 
acknowledged. “That means prosperity. During 
the winter months, from November to March, 
Florida is the nation’s playground. People come 
in by train, by boat, by plane, by car, by bus, and 
on foot to enjoy the winter sunshine. Incidentally 
they spend many hundred thousand dollars in 
about 120 days. They arrive suddenly; they 
depart as suddenly.” 

“But Florida is noted not only for her tourist 
attractions,” continued Uncle Lee. “She leads 
all other states in the production of grapefruit, 
and also raises large quantities of oranges and 
other fruits. Besides, vegetables, cotton, and to¬ 
bacco are grown in quantities.” 

Then he told Peter and Nancy of the Spaniards 


65 


66 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Eloing Galloway 

A FLORIDA GRAPEFRUIT GROVE 


who had built both St. Augustine on the Atlantic 
and Pensacola on the Gulf, and had connected 
them by a four-hundred-mile military highway, 
several hundred years ago. The MacLarens were 
soon riding over a part of this ancient highway. 

Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, lay in the midst 
of rolling hills, lakes, and streams. The streets 
of the city were lined with live oaks hung with 
Spanish moss, and with giant magnolias sweet 
with fragrance. In the town were many fine co¬ 
lonial mansions, but outside the town Peter and 
Nancy were interested in the plantations. Here 





WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


67 



Ewing Galloway 

SORTING AND PACKING CELERY FOR MARKET 

they saw many herds of cattle, great orchards 
of pecan trees, fig trees, and orange trees, and 
large fields of tobacco. 

Uncle Lee told Peter and Nancy of the special 
tobacco which was grown west of Tallahassee. 

“In these fields seed is grown for Virginia 
plantings,” he explained. “The sunshine helps to 
ripen the seeds early.” 

Eastward rode the MacLarens over one of the 
state’s fine paved roads. 



68 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

THE OLDEST HOUSE IN ST. AUGUSTINE 

Uncle Lee told Peter and Nancy that during 
any month of the year one might see people on 
the streets of Jacksonville in summer clothes. 
Nearly every day men -worked in shirt sleeves 
in their yards or on the docks. 

At St. Augustine the three MacLarens stopped 
off to see the historic spots which made that old 
city famous. In the old cathedral they looked at 
crumbling parchment-wrapped records of Span¬ 
ish and Indian marriages, dated as early as 1600. 
They saw the narrowest street in the United 





WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


69 


States, and the oldest house in the city. Nancy 
exclaimed at the beauty of the six-hundred-year- 
old live-oak tree, festooned with Spanish moss. 
They climbed the tower of old Fort Marion and 
learned that it was built of coquina, a material 
made of sea shells which nature had cemented 
together. The Fountain of Youth for which 
Ponce de Leon searched proved to be just a very 
good well, built of stone and concrete. Peter and 
Nancy drank of the cold, clear water, and, as 
they said, nothing happened. But Uncle Lee de¬ 
clared he felt much younger. 

“Ponce de Leon may not have found the true 
fountain of youth,” Uncle Lee mused, “but the 
state of Florida has given health and happiness 
to countless thousands.” 

Ponce de Leon seemed very real now. He had 
landed near the mouth of the St. Johns River in 
1513, and he had given what he thought was the 
fabled island of Bimini the beautiful name of 
Florida. 

There were many cars on the highways as the 
MacLarens traveled southward. They passed 
many a train going northward, long lines of yel¬ 
low refrigerator cars which Uncle Lee said were 
filled with everything from new potatoes, beans, 
peas, tomatoes, and celery, to pears, papayas, 
grapefruit, and oranges. 

Located on the highest point in the state was 



’i 



Ewing Galloway 


THE SINGING TOWER 




















WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


71 


the famous Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary and 
Singing Tower with its carillon of seventy-one 
bells. This magnificent tower had been donated 
by Edward Bok, and concerts were given there 
frequently. 

“ ‘Make you the world a bit better and more 
beautiful because you have lived in it’—those were 
the words which motivated the building of this 
lovely tower,” mused Uncle Lee, as he gazed at 
the tall marble structure. 

All through the middle part of the state Uncle 
Lee pointed out sinks or potholes which ac¬ 
counted, he said, for Florida’s thirty thousand 
lakes. 

“Minnesota, with its ten thousand lakes, isn’t 
in it,” Peter lamented. “What’s that? Blasting?” 

A terrific explosion had broken the quiet. 

“Somebody is planting a tree, probably,” Uncle 
Lee replied, his face perfectly sober. “Yes. It 
is blasting. You see, a part of Florida is a lime¬ 
stone plain. This plain is covered with shallow 
sand. For deep planting farmers have to blast.” 

On their way to Miami, the MacLarens spent 
a delightful day at Palm Beach. Peter and 
Nancy had often heard of its fine location on the 
narrow strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean 
and Lake Worth, and now that they actually 
visited it they could easily understand why tour¬ 
ists were so attracted to it. 




72 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



THE STREETS WERE LINED WITH PALMS 

As they drove on, the first glimpse of Miami 
was a distinct surprise. The skyline reminded 
Peter and Nancy of the pictures they had seen 
of New York City and Chicago. 

At Miami Beach, located just across Biscayne 
Bay from the thriving city of Miami, it seemed 
as though a holiday had been declared. There 
were thousands of people on the streets, on the 
long sandy beach, and in the sparkling blue ocean 
water. Uncle Lee informed Peter and Nancy 
that this beach was nearly eight miles in length. 







WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


73 


Peter was especially interested in the fish that 
were being caught. From the salty waters of the 
Atlantic, sportsmen brought in, among others, 
sailfish, tarpon, and kingfish. 

Along the bay ran a hundred-foot boulevard 
fringed with royal palms. Many of the streets 
were lined with coconut palms. Peter wondered 
what would happen if a strong wind should begin 
to blow, for, as he remarked, “A coconut is a hard 
fruit.” Flowers bloomed everywhere in great 
variety. Their fragrance filled the air, and their 
colors dazzled the eye. 

As the MacLarens drove over the three-mile 
causeway, a fine raised road joining the cities of 
Miami and Miami Beach, Uncle Lee told them 
of the thousands of people who each day walked, 
drove, or went by streetcar over that excellent 
roadway. 

“I wonder how many people there are in 
Miami,” Nancy questioned. 

“More than a hundred thousand,” Uncle Lee 
replied. “From what you have seen today you 
might believe that all the people in Miami are 
tourists, and that it is important only as a resort 
city. This is not quite true. There are extensive 
fisheries and many manufacturing industries 
here. Large quantities of citrus fruits, pine¬ 
apples, avocados, coconuts, and vegetables are 
raised in this vicinity, too.” 



74 PETER AMD NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Peter and Nancy had long looked forward to 
visiting Key West. The Keys, they knew, were 
coral islets which extended in a curve from the 
end of the peninsula, the mainland of Florida, to 
Key West. 

As the MacLarens drove toward Key West over 
the new highway which reached the entire length 
of the Keys, Nancy said, “I feel just as though 
we were riding along on the water.” 

“That’s almost true,” Uncle Lee said. “I think 
we might well call this roadway, which connects 
the small islands or Keys, a seagoing highway, 
for a great deal of it is over the water.” 

Key West, which Uncle Lee said was the 
southernmost city in the United States and was 
always frost-free, had the busiest docks Peter and 
Nancy had seen anywhere in the country. Ships 
from Havana, the nearest port, came steaming in, 
as well as ships from other places. 

A fellow tourist remarked that he had come 
down to Key West from Miami by airplane. 
Although this mode of travel was much more 
speedy than by auto, Peter and Nancy insisted 
that he had missed much by failing to travel 
over the highway as they had done. 

“I think we’ll agree,” Uncle Lee said, “that 
of all the experiences we have had during the 
trip, our journey over the Keys has been one of 
the most unique.” 



WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


75 


The city itself was quaint and beautiful. The 
homes were for the most part of Spanish archi¬ 
tecture. Some of the older houses, Uncle Lee 
said, had been built by ships^ carpenters from 
cedar and solid mahogany. Coconut palms 
swayed in the light, warm breezes, and fruit 
trees grew in the yards. In the gardens and 
orchards outside the town, limes, pomegranates, 
and dates grew abundantly. 

Planes sailed overhead, boats whistled in the 
well-fortified harbor, and sailors and marines 
hurried toward the United States Navy Yard. 
On the docks men brought in bales of sponges, 
and big green turtles which were to be kept alive 
here for shipment north. 

The tobacco from Havana was keeping a 
great many cigar makers busy in their factories. 
Altogether, Key West seemed to be a busy and 
prosperous city. 

Ten miles west of Miami were the Everglades, 
over which the MacLarens flew on their way to 
Tampa. Peter and Nancy were interested 
when Uncle Lee pointed out that the vast terri¬ 
tory known as the Everglades was really a huge 
tract of soft, boggy land. Tropical vegetation, 
wild animals, and wild birds were found there. 
To be sure, there were many clearings where 
cattle grazed, and once Peter shouted with delight 
on seeing a Seminole Indian village. 



76 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 


A SEMINOLE INDIAN VILLAGE 

Tampa’s docks and railway stations were full 
of hustling workers. Across Tampa Bay were 
St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Peter and Nancy 
were not satisfied until Uncle Lee took them 
over to St. Petersburg to sit on one of the green 
benches along Central Avenue, where thousands 
of tourists sunned themselves during the winter. 
Peter and Nancy declared themselves members 
of the Green Bench Club. 

A few days later, after a delightful boat trip, 
the MacLarens arrived at Gulfport, Mississippi. 




WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


77 



James Sawders 

AN OLD SOUTHERN MANSION 

There, at the water’s edge, they found growing 
great moss-draped live-oak trees. Some of these 
trees were said to be nearly a thousand years old. 
In the yards and patios and parks along the road 
to the hotel, they saw roses in bloom. 

Uncle Lee and Peter and Nancy had lunch with 
a friend who lived in a fine old southern mansion 
which had been built during the period that pre¬ 
ceded the War between the States. Much of the 
original furniture was still in use. 

After lunch they went to visit the great oyster 
and shrimp canneries of which they had heard so 
much during the last few days. An employee at 
one of the canneries informed Peter that one of 





78 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


the largest natural oyster reefs was at Pass 
Christian, not far away. 

“Somehow,” Peter said, “I always thought of 
Mississippi as being an agricultural state. Now 
all I can think of is sea food. And you said it 
was a cotton state. Uncle Lee.” 

“I did,” Uncle Lee admitted. “Wait until we 
see some more of the state. The flood plains of 
the Yazoo and the Mississippi with their pictur¬ 
esque high bluffs are very rich soil. Here is fine 
cotton land. Mississippi raises plenty of corn 
and oats as well. And there’s a fine supply of 
lumber in her forests.” 

“Where’s the capital. Uncle Lee?” Peter asked. 

“At Jackson, of course,” Nancy put in. “It’s 
in the south central part of the state, and it is 
a commercial center for agricultural and manu¬ 
factured products. Historic Vicksburg is only 
forty-five miles west.” 

From Gulfport the MacLarens took another 
plane. This time they winged their way toward 
Louisiana and one of the South’s largest cities. 
New Orleans. Far below them, as they swung 
westward, flowed the muddy Mississippi in a bend 
so wide that, long ago, men had named New 
Orleans the “Crescent City.” 

In a little while the three MacLarens were rid¬ 
ing along one of the most famous streets in the 
world, Canal Street. Uncle Lee said the citizens 



WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


79 



James Sawders 

CANAL STREET IN NEW ORLEANS 

of New Orleans claimed that it was the widest 
street in the world. 

‘^It is not surprising at all!^’ Uncle Lee was 
reading the minds of Peter and Nancy. ‘This is 
the port toward which the Mississippi flows in its 
long journey. When you consider that this river 
with its many branches touches twenty-seven 
states with the great wealth they hold, you must 
expect New Orleans to be prosperous. Here come 
ships from nearly every country in the world. 



80 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

UNLOADING COFFEE FROM A STEAMER 

New Orleans is a great grain, cotton, sugar, 
banana, rice, and coifee market, as you will see 
when we visit the docks.” 

The contrast between the old and new sections 
of New Orleans made it doubly fascinating to 
Peter and Nancy. 

The old or French Quarter was crowded into 
the center of the city’s life in the early days. It 
had old houses with overhanging balconies, half- 
hidden courtyards, and old-fashioned gardens. 
The streets and walks were very narrow. 




WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


81 



James Sawders 

IN THE OLD FRENCH QUARTER 

was here that the land included in the 
Louisiana Purchase was transferred from the 
French to the American Government/’ Uncle 
Lee explained. 

They visited, too, the Ursuline Convent which 
was built in 1727, the old Spanish Arsenal, and 
the old Mint. 

The new part of the city had modern-built 
homes with large lawns, and wide streets lined 
with palms and oaks. These homes were sur¬ 
rounded with tropical foliage and flowers. 










82 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


think New Orleans is delightful/’ Nancy 
exulted, during their ride to the railroad station. 
^‘How I wish we could come back for the Mardi 
Gras this winter! What an exciting time that 
must be!” 

The MacLarens went by train to Baton Rouge, 
the capital of the state. 

Peter thought that the new Capitol was one 
of the most imposing he had seen. From the 
thirty-three-story tower the MacLarens got a 
good view of the city, the Mississippi River, and 
the surrounding country. 

^'Baton Rouge has a fine harbor,” Uncle Lee 
declared, as they drove down to watch the ships 
loading and unloading their cargoes. ^Tt is an 
industrial city, too. The manufacturing plants 
include sugar mills, rice mills, chemical plants, 
woodworking factories, and a large oil refinery.” 

On a fiight over Louisiana, Peter and Nancy 
viewed miles and miles of waving sugar cane. 
They were delighted to learn about Etienne de 
Bore, a French planter, who developed a method 
for making granulated sugar. 

^^Monsieur de Bore certainly started an im¬ 
portant industry,” said Peter. 

Flying on up the Mississippi, Uncle Lee pointed 
out the fact that the drainage of the entire state 
of Tennessee poured into the big river. 

'Tennessee,” said Uncle Lee, “has many dif- 



WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


83 



A LOUISIANA SUGAR MILL 

ferent kinds of scenery. The mountain scenery 
in the east is magnificent. To the west of the 
mountains there lies the Great Valley. In the 
middle section of the state you’ll find the Cumber¬ 
land Plateau, the Highland Rim Plateau, and the 
Central Basin known as the blue grass country. 
West Tennessee also has two sections, the high¬ 
land plain and the bottom lands along the Mis¬ 
sissippi—cotton land.” 

“Then it must be an agricultural state,” Peter 
concluded. 


James Sawders 



84 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


“It is,” Uncle Lee agreed. “But if you were 
to go to Chattanooga or Knoxville, you’d say 
that industries were of great importance, too. 
Deposits of coal and iron near by and plenty 
of hydroelectric power help to make Chattanooga 
one of the most important manufacturing cen¬ 
ters of the South. Her most important industries 
are the manufacture of steel, steel products, and 
cotton goods. In this Tennessee Valley we also 
can see some interesting work which our govern¬ 
ment is doing. It is building enormous dams 
between the banks of the Tennessee River, de¬ 
veloping electricity, and producing fertilizer, in 
an endeavor to better conditions in this section. 

“Knoxville, which lies in the valley between 
the Cumberland and the Great Smoky mountain 
ranges, is in a region where great quantities 
of coal, iron, and marble are produced. Knox¬ 
ville’s manufactured products include textiles and 
clothing, iron and steel products, wood prod¬ 
ucts, and marble. We’re flying above Memphis 
now, the largest city in the state. It isn’t the 
capital city, as you know. That is Nashville, beau¬ 
tifully located on the picturesque Cumberland 
River. Peabody College, one of the best known 
in the South, is located at Nashville, and near 
by is Andrew Jackson’s home, the Hermitage.” 

“Memphis seems to have a unique location,” 
Nancy observed. 



WHERE THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT 


85 



Ewing Galloway 

ANDREW JACKSON’S HOME 


“It has indeed,” Uncle Lee agreed. “It’s high 
on the Chickasaw Bluffs where once stood the 
Indian village of Chisca.” 

“Cotton barges!” Peter cried. “Memphis looks 
like an inland port.” 

“It is one of the country’s greatest inland 
ports,” Uncle Lee informed Peter, “and it’s one of 
the largest inland cotton markets in the world. It 
handles over two million bales a year. Sometime 
we will attend the great cotton carnival which is 
held here every year.” 

“I can see. Uncle Lee,” said Nancy, “why you 






86 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

MEMPHIS IS A GREAT COTTON MARKET 

class Tennessee with Mississippi and Louisiana 
as a cotton state. The shipping end of cotton is 
every bit as important as the growing end, I 
imagine.” 

'Tt certainly is,” Uncle Lee answered. ^There 
is a saying that when conditions in the cotton 
industry are bad, the whole country is in poor 
condition.” 

‘'Uncle Lee, if you talk like that,” Nancy de¬ 
clared, ‘T shall take to wearing cotton stockings.” 



OUR NATION’S CAPITAL 


T he MacLarens went by train from Memphis 
to Washington. 

“What a splendid entrance to our National 
Capital!” exclaimed Nancy as they came out of 
the Union Station. The building faced a beau¬ 
tifully landscaped plaza of sixty acres. 

This most beautiful of cities was the capital of 
the United States, whose beginnings the Mac¬ 
Larens had viewed in Virginia. Washington was 
a lovely city of wide streets and boulevards, 
stately tree-arched avenues, and clear sunshine. 
No smoke sullied the white grandeur of the Capi¬ 
tol with its familiar dome, the simple elegance 
of the White House, or the inspiring beauty of 
the Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monu¬ 
ment towered more than 555 feet into golden 
sunshine against a blue sky. 

“And not a telegraph pole or a wire in sight!” 
Peter cried, looking about as the taxi took them 
along beautiful Pennsylvania Avenue. “Not even 
a trolley wire! And yet the streetcars are run¬ 
ning.” 

“All wires—telegraph, telephone, and trolley- 
are underground,” Uncle Lee explained. “That 
helps to make a handsome city. We’re coming to 
87 


88 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



United Air Lines 

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF CITIES 

the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and new 
Constitution Avenue/^ 

Uncle Lee did not need to call attention to the 
magnificent group of government buildings, for 
Peter and Nancy were gazing in wonder at ma¬ 
jestic marble columns, inspiring inscriptions, and 
beautiful statuary. 

‘‘How can we see it all in one short week?’’ 
asked Nancy. 

“We will have to plan our time carefully,” 
Uncle Lee answered. “We’ll want to be sure to 



OUR NATION^S CAPITAL 


89 



Ewing Galloway 

THE CHERRY TREES AND WASHINGTON MONUMENT 

see buildings representative of all three divisions 
of the government. We must visit the Capitol 
for the legislative part, the White House offices 
for the executive part, and the Supreme Court 
Building for the judicial part, and then see as 
many other buildings as possible.'' 

^‘When can we see the cherry blossoms?" Nancy 
inquired. 

'‘Right now," Uncle Lee decided. "Driver, 
take us around the Tidal Basin, please." 

As the MacLarens rode along beside the Basin, 
they saw one of the most picturesque sights in 




90 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL 

Washington—the pink and white blossoming 
cherry trees that filled the roadside with beauty. 
The branches, covered with blossoms of the most 
delicate pink, spread wide and high. There were 
many other people sharing the same delight as the 
MacLarens, while children sailed boats in the pool 
where the trees were refiected. 

^They look good enough to eat, Peter Nancy 
laughed excitedly as the taxi slowly circled the 
Basin and came to a stop before the Lincoln 
Memorial. 

The three visitors climbed the broad steps and 
wide terraces to the Memorial before they turned 



OUR NATION^S CAPITAL 


91 


around to look down upon a deep mirrored 
pool which Uncle Lee said was a third of a mile 
long and 160 feet wide. Its water, placid and 
shining, reflected not only the temple to Lincoln, 
but also the towering Washington Monument. 

Peter and Nancy turned to face the beautiful 
temple of white marble. Peter looked up at the 
colonnade with its thirty-six Doric columns, one 
for each state existing at the time of Lincoln’s 
death. Nancy helped him find the one standing 
for their own state, Minnesota. Before entering 
the Memorial, Uncle Lee pointed out the new 
Arlington Bridge across the Potomac River at 
the back of the Memorial. This bridge, he told 
Peter and Nancy, was said to be the largest draw¬ 
bridge in the world. 

With reverent faces they passed through the 
columns and found themselves within the cen¬ 
tral hall looking at the colossal marble figure of 
Abraham Lincoln. 

The children were sober as they viewed the 
seated figure whose hands rested on the arms of 
the great chair and whose rugged gaze was fixed 
upon the scene through the pillars. They heard 
Uncle Lee say that the statue was one of the 
largest ever carved and that it was the work of 
Daniel Chester French. 

Together the three of them read the inscrip¬ 
tion over the head of the immortal Lincoln: in 



92 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


THIS TEMPLE, AS IN THE HEARTS OP THE PEOPLE 
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION, THE MEMORY 
OP ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER. 

Then Peter walked over to read the Gettysburg 
Address on one wall and the Second Inaugural 
Address on another wall. Above the tablets were 
two murals, one called “Emancipation” and the 
other “Reunion.” 

That afternoon the MacLarens visited the Capi¬ 
tol. They had seen it from almost every point in 
the city, yet so gradual was the slope they could 
scarcely realize that the Capitol was on the brow 
of a hill until they had climbed the steps and 
looked back upon the way they had come. 

The Capitol was so bright and clean that it 
did not seem to be an old building at all. Yet 
it was old. Uncle Lee said that George Washing¬ 
ton had laid the cornerstone in 1793. 

Although it was partly burned during the War 
of 1812, it had been restored and improved. 
Nancy, squinting upward, said, “That looks like 
a gold Statue of Liberty on the dome!” 

“Not exactly,” Uncle Lee said. “It’s a bronze 
figure representing freedom.” 

As the MacLarens passed into the Capitol, 
they found themselves in the rotunda with the 
vaulted canopy of the great dome 180 feet over¬ 
head. They looked at the eight great paintings 
on the walls of the rotunda. These famous paint- 



OUR NATION^S CAPITAL 


93 



THE CAPITOL OF THE UNITED STATES 


ings were of colonial and Revolutionary War 
scenes. 

In Statuary Hall, on the south side of the ro- 
tunda, the children gazed at the imposing collec- 









94 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Eloing Galloway 


THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES IN SESSION 

tion of statues of famous Americans and historic 
figures. In the House of Representatives they sat 
in the balcony and listened to the statesmen speak. 
Peter wondered how many of them would some 
day be remembered well enough to be honored in 
marble or bronze. 

After dinner that evening the MacLarens again 
walked out toward the Capitol, but this time they 
decided to visit the Library of Congress. It was 
an imposing building of New Hampshire granite, 



OUR NATION*S CAPITAL 


95 


three stories high. Uncle Lee said he understood 
there were about two thousand windows in it. 

The inside of the building was even more 
impressive than the outside. It did not seem 
possible that this great library had so small a 
beginning as Thomas Jefferson^s personal library, 
for it now housed 4,500,000 volumes, occupying 
over fifty miles of shelves. 

The main entrance hall to the Library of Con¬ 
gress was so lavish in decoration, with its beau¬ 
tiful Corinthian columns, its handsome frescoes, 
and its sculptures, that Peter and Nancy could 
easily imagine they were in a palace. They 
climbed to the main fioor and were thrilled to view 
the originals of the Declaration of Independence 
and the Constitution of the United States. 

When the library was ready to close. Uncle Lee 
and Nancy found Peter peering into another 
glass case near the Declaration of Independence. 
He was looking at Abraham Lincoln’s penciled 
copy of the Gettysburg Address. Corrections had 
been plainly made, and Peter was comparing the 
first copy with the finished one. 

The following day Uncle Lee announced that it 
was time for a visit to the White House. 

The beautiful southern mansion was situated 
near the Potomac River, its grounds lovely with 
shrubbery, fiowers, and fragrant magnolia trees. 
Uncle Lee said that every President except the 



96 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


first had lived in it with his family. Even the 
first President had been in it—had walked 
through the partly finished building just a few 
days before his death. Once it had been gray 
in color, having been built of Virginia freestone. 
But, after the burning of 1814, it had been 
painted white to cover the marks of fire, and 
soon afterward it came to be known as the White 
House. 

Peter and Nancy hesitated as they passed the 
peanut wagon on the White House corner, but 
Uncle Lee strode ahead and they had to follow. 
As they entered the grounds, a very fat, lively 
squirrel ran directly across their path. Back and 
forth, and here and there he continued to bound, 
finally stopping right in front of them. Peter 
almost stumbled over the friendly little creature. 

“What does he want?” Nancy inquired. 

“Peanuts,” Uncle Lee answered, reaching in 
his pocket for a coin. “Peter, run back to the 
wagon on the corner and get a sack.” 

“I think it’s a very pleasant thing to find that 
squirrels in the White House yard are quite the 
same as the squirrels in our yard at home,” 
Nancy commented. 

The White House was not nearly so pretentious 
as Nancy had expected it to be. But there were 
sparkling chandeliers, famous paintings, rich up¬ 
holsteries, colorful hangings, and fine furniture. 



OUR NATION’S CAPITAL 


97 



Ewing Galloway 

THE WHITE HOUSE 

There was also, to Nancy’s delight, a gold piano. 
In the famous East Room a guide pointed out the 
exact spot where Nellie Grant had stood on her 
wedding day. He said that the wife of one of the 
early Presidents, Mrs. John Adams, had hung 
her washing up in that very room. But Peter 
and Nancy could imagine such a room being used 
only to entertain important personages. 

To the east of the White House, the MacLarens 
could see the Treasury, a handsome building with 
lovely porticoes and stately columns like a Greek 











98 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


temple. To the west of the White House stood 
the State, War and Navy Building, constructed 
of granite. 

Buildings, buildings, buildings! In the days 
that followed. Uncle Lee led Peter and Nancy 
along miles of corridors. He took them into the 
Pan-American Building with its Spanish patio 
paved with tiles. The plants and trees there were 
the kinds grown in South America. In the beau¬ 
tiful Aztec Garden at the rear Peter gazed long 
at the God of Flowers, a fine Aztec relic of enor¬ 
mous size, presiding over a pool. 

They visited the magnificent new Supreme 
Court Building. As Peter and Nancy stood in 
the great central court chamber, they felt the 
solemn importance of the work carried on there 
by the judges of the Supreme Court. 

In the Bureau of Engraving and Printing they 
saw the government’s paper moneys, stamps, and 
securities being printed in great quantities. At 
the Smithsonian Institution, a large red stone 
building, they saw many historical collections 
and scientific displays. 

They walked along the Mall, enjoying the blue 
sky, the bright fiowers, and the gay crowds. In 
the Arts and Industries Building of the National 
Museum Uncle Lee studied one of the first steam 
engines and the first Franklin printing press, 
while Nancy looked at personal relics of Washing- 



OUR NATION^S CAPITAL 


99 


ton and Lincoln. Peter spent much time gazing 
at Lindbergh's “Spirit of St. Louis" which was 
suspended from the ceiling near the entrance. 
The first solo non-stop airplane flight across the 
Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris, was 
made in this plane, in 1927. 

In the New National Museum they viewed the 
famous Roosevelt Animal Exhibit and saw the 
North American Indian as he was in pioneer 
days. The Freer Gallery of Art, which they went 
through one afternoon, attracted Nancy by its 
Whistler pictures, and the Corcoran Art Gallery 
held Peter's attention with its fine sculptures. 

When Uncle Lee announced that he was taking 
them to Arlington National Cemetery and to 
Mount Vernon, Peter and Nancy were so de¬ 
lighted that they could hardly wait to be on their 
way. They had often looked at pictures of these 
historic spots and wished that they might see 
them. And now their wish was coming true! 

It was exciting to cross the bridge that they 
had viewed from the back of the Lincoln Memo¬ 
rial a few days before. 

“A tribute to the Father of Our Country!" 
Peter said. “And what a tribute! A ten-million- 
dollar memorial bridge, over two thousand feet 
long and almost a hundred feet wide." 

“The new Mount Vernon Memorial Highway 
runs parallel to the Potomac River all the way to 



100 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Mount Vernon, doesn't it, Uncle Lee?" Nancy 
asked. 

Through rolling country and on into Arlington 
Cemetery went the MacLarens. They stopped 
at Arlington House which was once the resi¬ 
dence of Robert E. Lee. The view of Washington 
from the wide portico was so impressive that 
they gazed in a silence that was more significant 
than words. 

And now the car was following a road through 
the National Cemetery where more than thirty 
thousand soldiers were sleeping. The rows of 
stones marking the graves seemed endless. Peace¬ 
ful were the hills and placid was the river. The 
horrors of war seemed remote. 

Uncle Lee brought the car to a stop before the 
steps leading to the Tomb of the Unknown Sol¬ 
dier. The handsome white marble structure stood 
directly in front of the Memorial Amphitheatre. 
Soldiers of the United States Army were always 
on duty, day and night. Uncle Lee explained. 

They came close to the tomb with its guard, its 
handsome laurel wreaths, and its impressive in¬ 
scription : HERE LIES IN HONORED GLORY AN 
AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD. 

Their faces sober, the MacLarens climbed on 
up to the Arlington Memorial Amphitheatre and 
looked at the various mementos kept in the glass 
cases. Then they passed out into the open thea- 



OUR NATION’S CAPITAL 


101 



juwtng utaiioway 

WASHINGTON’S HOME, MOUNT VERNON 


ter itself. The sun shone dazzlingly on the marble 
benches and on the great platform. 

“It looks too impressive to use,” Nancy said. 

“Days like Memorial Day,” Uncle Lee mused, 
“can be celebrated rightfully in this place of great 
dignity and beauty.” 

When the car continued along the famous high¬ 
way, spirits rose high. Mount Vernon, Washing¬ 
ton’s home, came in view. There stood the familiar 
old colonial house whose picture hung in the 
school library back home. Actually to see the 
fine old mansion which had been built of wood 



102 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


cut and painted to resemble stone, was an in¬ 
spiring experience. Nancy kept saying, as the 
three MacLarens strolled through the historic old 
house with its many traditions of easy and gra¬ 
cious living, walking in the very rooms 

where George Washington walked.’’ 

The rooms were elegant with their carved ceil¬ 
ings, mahogany beds, rare cabinets and tables, 
and handsome drapes. In the music room Nancy 
spoke aloud. 

^T’m looking at the very harpsichord on which 
Martha Washington accompanied George Wash¬ 
ington as he played his flute.” 

The MacLarens spoke softly in the room in 
which Washington died. The position of the 
chair, the mahogany table, and the open Bible on 
the chair were just as they had been at the 
moment of George Washington’s death. From 
the window in Martha Washington’s bedroom the 
MacLarens looked down upon Washington’s tomb 
just as Martha Washington did in her last days. 

The corner cupboard in the dining room held 
Nancy’s attention a long time, for in it was a re¬ 
production of the set of dishes presented to Mrs. 
Washington by officers of the French fleet in 
1792. And the kitchen was interesting, too, with 
the crane still hanging in the fireplace, and the 
brick oven in good condition. Uncle Lee finally 
persuaded Nancy to leave the mansion and to 



OUR NATION*S CAPITAL 


103 


see the barn built of bricks imported from 
England, the spinning house with the spinning 
wheels still there, and the lovely boxwood gardens. 

Before leaving Mount Vernon, Peter and Nancy 
followed Uncle Lee along the garden paths to 
Washington's tomb. It proved to be a plain 
brick building covered with vines and massed 
with jasmine. The tablet above the entrance 
read: within this enclosure rest the remains 

OF GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

^Tn seeing Arlington,’’ Uncle Lee reminded 
Peter and Nancy on the ride back to Washington, 
^Ve have seen a memorial to men who gave their 
lives so that you and I might have the United 
States. In seeing Mount Vernon, we have walked 
in a home where gracious living was the rule 
and personal integrity taken for granted. In 
visiting Washington we have seen a capital which 
is rapidly taking its place as the most beautiful 
in the world. How proud we should be of the 
splendid American spirit which these places rep¬ 
resent!’’ 



WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


“TT IS only fitting and proper,” Uncle Lee said 
-i- as he got into the car with Peter and Nancy, 
“that we enter Maryland from Washington. For 
it was Maryland that ceded the soil upon which 
our National Capital now stands. And it was 
Maryland that loaned much of the money that 
started the building.” 

Now the MacLarens planned a visit to St. 
Marys City, the oldest settlement in Maryland. 
It was about eighty miles from Washington over 
good roads, and the MacLarens drank in the 
beauty of rolling green fields, hillsides delight¬ 
fully wooded, and fine mansions with inviting 
white-pillared entrances. The dogwood was in 
bloom, and the magnolias, blossoming among 
glossy leaves, smelled sweet. 

The eastern shore of Maryland, Uncle Lee ex¬ 
plained, was as level as any prairie state. 

“Maryland has mountains, too,” Uncle Lee 
added. “We’d have to be sure of our brakes be¬ 
fore we attempted the long climb up Big Savage 
Mountain, Negro Mountain, or Martin’s Ridge. 
Their scenery reminds me of the Rockies.” 

“In those mountains in western Maryland,” 
Peter volunteered, “George Washington gained 


104 


WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


105 


his first military experience fighting Indians!” 

“Leonard Calvert was one of the founders of 
Maryland,” Uncle Lee remarked. “He signed a 
treaty with an Indian king in 1634. Calvert and 
his followers bought St. Marys City for a pack of 
axes, hoes, and broadcloth. That very first 
autumn the three hundred colonists raised enough 
grain to send a shipload to England in exchange 
for salt codfish.” 

“They wouldn’t have to send to England now 
for any kind of fish,” Peter commented. 

Past St. Marys City and many an ancient farm 
went the little car toward Baltimore. 

“We’ll be in Baltimore for a sea-food dinner,” 
Uncle Lee announced. “Chesapeake Bay is rich 
in many kinds of food—not only oysters, but 
crabs, terrapin, shad, and mackerel. Take your 
choice.” 

The MacLarens stopped off in Annapolis, the 
capital, to visit the old Statehouse, and Peter 
eagerly demanded to see the United States Naval 
Academy. The three visitors walked out to the 
grounds on the tip of the peninsula on which 
the city stood. 

“Bounded on three sides by water!” Peter 
cried. “That’s the way a naval academy should 
be situated.” 

“Such wonderful grass!” Nancy exclaimed. 
“It’s a thick, beautiful carpet.” 



106 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

MIDSHIPMEN AT ANNAPOLIS 

''What do you think of the buildings?’^ But 
Uncle Lee did not have to ask. Both Peter and 
Nancy were staring in wide-eyed wonder at the 
magnificence of the white granite buildings. 

Uncle Lee and Nancy could hardly draw Peter 
away from Bancroft Hall. "IPs the largest dor¬ 
mitory in the world Peter exclaimed. "Why, 
there are 2,400 midshipmen in its five decks— 
I mean stories.^' 

Baltimore was only twenty-six miles away. 

"Baltimore, like New York City,^^ Uncle Lee 



WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


107 


observed, as they drove into the city, “holds within 
itself more than half of its state’s population.” 

The water front seemed endless to Peter and 
Nancy. 

“Baltimore is one of the most important cities 
in the country,” Uncle Lee said. “It has large 
coal-handling piers, and large grain elevators 
which can load a car of grain from bin to ship’s 
hold in six minutes! This is done by conveyer 
belts. Here, too, are located the largest tidewater 
steel mills in the United States.” 

Peter and Nancy glanced slyly at each other, 
but Uncle Lee was not in the least disturbed. 

He continued, “I’m not through yet! Baltimore 
is one of the great ship-repairing cities in the 
United States. It is noted, also, for the manu¬ 
facture of fertilizer.” 

“Indeed!” Peter nudged Nancy. “Uncle Lee 
is certainly an enthusiast. One would think he 
were a native of Baltimore.” 

“I’m not just talking,” Uncle Lee maintained. 
“The Atlantic seaboard handles more fertilizer 
than any other part of the country. Baltimore 
is a cheap, convenient haven for tramp steamers 
that carry nitrate which is used to fertilize poor 
soils. And I could go on and on, because Balti¬ 
more manufactures tinware, hats, metal bottle 
caps, piston rings, and umbrellas in greater quan¬ 
tities than—well, never mind!” 



108 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


When they reached the business section, Peter 
and Nancy were surprised to find the buildings 
so new and modern, since the rest of the city 
seemed so old. Uncle Lee explained that this was 
because the business district had been almost 
destroyed by fire in 1904 and then completely 
rebuilt. 

Of all the impressive sights, from the busy 
wharves to the first railway passenger and freight 
station in America, Peter and Nancy were most 
impressed with Johns Hopkins University. They 
saw famous Gilman Hall with its tower, the won¬ 
derful engineering buildings and laboratories, 
and the Faculty Club. Uncle Lee said that the 
research workers of Johns Hopkins University 
had done as much to relieve sulfering and to 
preserve human life as those of any other insti¬ 
tution that he knew. 

“Uncle Lee, wasn’t it here that ‘The Star-Span¬ 
gled Banner’ was written?” questioned Nancy. 

“Yes, it was during the War of 1812,” Uncle 
Lee replied. “Francis Scott Key was visiting the 
British Fleet in Chesapeake Bay, attempting to 
secure the release of a friend who had been cap¬ 
tured. Key was detained, and Fort McHenry 
here was bombarded that night. In the morning 
he could see the American flag still flying over 
the fortress. It was then that he wrote ‘The Star- 
Spangled Banner.’ ” 



WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


109 



James Sawders 

OLD FORT McHenry 

As they drove back through the residential 
section, Peter and Nancy were delighted to see 
the ‘^row^’ houses. It seemed queer to them to 
view blocks and blocks of houses, one right against 
another, built right out to the sidewalk. At 
home every house had a lawn in front and a 
yard in back. 

^‘By their steps ye shall know them,’^ misquoted 
Uncle Lee. 

Some of the steps were wooden, some were of 
marble, and some were of other kinds of stone. 






110 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Evidently a family that had stone steps v^as 
more prosperous than one that had wooden steps. 
And the white marble steps surely belonged to 
wealthy families. But the steps told more than a 
story of prosperity. 

''I never saw so many scrubbed steps in my 
life/’ Nancy declared. ^Teter, if ever we live in 
Baltimore, I shall scrub our steps every day. 
Baltimore steps are like our front yards at home. 
They tell what kind of housekeepers people are.” 

At dinner that evening Uncle Lee announced 
that before noon the next day, Peter and Nancy 
would be exclaiming over the wonders of another 
state—the ^^Keystone State.” 

^Tennsylvania!” Peter and Nancy shouted in 
one voice. 

‘When I think of Pennsylvania I always think 
of mining and manufacturing,” Peter declared. 

“Right,” agreed Uncle Lee. “Pennsylvania is 
our most important mineral-producing state. She 
produces practically all of the anthracite and 
a good deal of the bituminous coal mined in this 
country. She ranks second only to New York in 
the value of manufactured products. Philadelphia 
and Pittsburgh are the leading manufacturing 
centers of the state. Other important industrial 
cities are Reading, Allentown, Johnstown, Beth¬ 
lehem, Erie, Chester, New Castle, York, Scranton, 
Altoona, and Williamsport.” 



WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


111 


“What a long list of manufacturing cities!” 
exclaimed Peter. 

“But the Pennsylvania city we’re visiting is 
noted not only for its industries; it is a city 
famous because so many of its citizens own their 
homes. There are about two million people, and 
most of them are native Americans.” Uncle Lee 
continued his hints. “William Penn and other 
members of the Society of Friends called it the 
‘City of Brotherly Love.’ ” 

“It’s Philadelphia we’re visiting!” Nancy de¬ 
cided. 

The MacLarens reached Philadelphia by rail, 
and before noon found themselves in front of 
the City Hall. Squinting up into the bright sun¬ 
light, they could see the huge bronze statue of 
William Penn on the top of the tower. With 
Uncle Lee they went up to the circular balcony 
beneath the statue. 

“How big is it. Uncle Lee?” Peter inquired. 

Uncle Lee turned to Peter. “The statue of 
William Penn up there weighs over fifty thousand 
pounds and stands thirty-seven feet high,” he 
said. “It’s an amazing piece of work!” 

The MacLarens looked down over the same 
view as the bronze William Penn. They saw the 
Schuylkill River flowing out to sea with the masts 
of ships gleaming in the sunlight. They saw the 
Delaware River, too. They looked down on the 



112 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


towering buildings of the business district and 
beyond them at the industrial areas. They saw 
parks and parkways. Uncle Lee pointed out 
churches, art galleries, and libraries—^very fine 
libraries. He said that Benjamin Franklin prob¬ 
ably started the idea of circulating libraries 
when, in 1731, he founded the Library Company, 
the first circulating library in x4merica. 

^Tt looks to me as though there were a great 
many parks here,’’ Nancy observed. 

'There are,” Uncle Lee agreed. "William 
Penn wanted Philadelphia to remain, as he said, 
'a green country town,’ and his ideas have been 
kept through the years. Fairmont Park is one 
of the largest natural parks entirely within the 
limits of any city—miles of drives and paths, and 
3,600 acres of scenery, flowers and woods and 
waterways. It’s down there, along the Schuylkill 
River. By the way, Philadelphia has the largest 
shipbuilding plant in the United States. And in 
the suburb of Eddystone is the largest locomotive 
works in the United States. Between the down¬ 
town section and Fairmont Park you can see 
the Philadelphia Museum of Art—that gleaming 
white building! Over there is the Delaware 
River, with Camden, New Jersey, on the opposite 
shore.” 

That afternoon the MacLarens saw the house 
where Betsy Ross made the first American flag. 



WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


113 



(jfiaries t'lieips 

WHERE THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG WAS MADE 


Peter and Nancy noticed that the flag flying from 
the roof of the Betsy Ross House had only thirteen 
stars as did the first flag. 



















Exoing Galloway 


INDEPENDENCE HALL IN PHILADELPHIA 





WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


115 


Next morning the MacLarens visited Indepen¬ 
dence Hall. 

The building was a stately one, its white trim¬ 
mings very fresh. Uncle Lee said the whole 
country owed Philadelphia a debt for preserving 
this fine building as a shrine. Peter and Nancy 
looked up at the belfry from which the joyful 
news had pealed out on July 4, 1776, that the 
Declaration of Independence had been signed. 

As they entered the hall they stood before the 
cracked Liberty Bell. It had been mounted in 
such a way that it could be moved quickly in case 
of fire. To Peter and Nancy it stood for the free¬ 
dom that made them proud to be Americans. 

''Here,’^ said Uncle Lee, as they entered the 
east room on the first floor, ^^the Second Conti¬ 
nental Congress met and elected John Hancock its 
president. That was in 1775. Here George 
Washington was chosen commander in chief of 
the Continental Army. That was in 1775, too. 
Here the Declaration of Independence was adopted 
and signed.’^ 

Peter and Nancy gazed long at the inkstand 
with the quill box and sand shaker that had 
been used in signing the Declaration of Inde¬ 
pendence. 

They saw a beautiful new picture by an Ameri¬ 
can artist—the ''Signing of the Declaration of 
Independence,’’ by Howard Chandler Christy. 




Ewing Galloway 


THE LIBERTY BELL 












































WHERE FREEDOM IS A TRADITION 


117 


The MacLarens looked long at the interesting, 
colorful picture that showed the signing of the 
proclamation which declared our country free. 

‘T think,’’ said Nancy soberly, ''that Mr. 
Christy showed his patriotism in the very finest 
way he could.” 

"That picture,” Uncle Lee said, "will be a part 
of our fine American tradition.” 



A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


‘‘T^IAMOND Delaware!’’ Peter exclaimed. ^^It 
jLy must be a gay, sparkling, valuable state.” 

'Tt isn’t diamond-shaped anyway,” Nancy de¬ 
cided. ‘The three counties are shaped more like 
a wooden shoe. There is so much water around 
it! We could sail down the Delaware River from 
Philadelphia right out into the Atlantic Ocean.” 

“It is said,” Uncle Lee explained to Peter and 
Nancy, as they left Philadelphia, “that most of the 
motor vehicles on Delaware highways are from 
outside the state.” 

As they passed through peach and apple or¬ 
chards sweet with pink and white blossoms, and 
along fields of strawberry plants, Peter and 
Nancy realized that fruitgrowing was important. 

“Delaware is often called an immense garden 
and orchard,” said Uncle Lee. “It is one of the 
leading states in the production of strawberries.” 

“Next to Rhode Island, Delaware is the small¬ 
est state in the Union,” Peter said. “Remem¬ 
ber this: Delaware was the first state to ratify 
the Constitution. It was Thomas Jefferson who 
nicknamed it ‘The Diamond’—a name that will 
always cling to it, I believe.” 

By the time they entered Wilmington, Peter 


118 


A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


119 


and Nancy were as excited as though they were 
going to visit old friends. Wilmington proved 
to be a quaint town of narrow streets. 

^‘Are there any factories in Wilmington 
Peter inquired. 

^There are many companies that have been 
here for years and years, some for generations,’^ 
Uncle Lee replied. ^^Here, too, are located some 
of the largest shipyards in the country.” 

They visited the municipal marine terminal 
that was opened for business in 1923. They 
watched ships come in from many faraway 
places—Argentina, the Mediterranean, the Pacific 
Northwest, and even the Baltic. 

That evening Uncle Lee decided that before 
going farther north, they should spend a week 
end in West Virginia, the ''Panhandle State.” 
Once it had been a part of Virginia, the children 
knew, but it had separated during the War 
between the States and was admitted into the 
Union in 1863. West Virginia! The name meant 
mines and coal, petroleum, and natural gas, but 
there was more to West Virginia than that. 
Peter and Nancy were eager to see the state. 

Hour after hour they rode along hard-surfaced 
highways. Uncle Lee said there were miles and 
miles of just such perfect roads in the state. 
Down ran the bus through magnificent valleys 
and up along ridges where the MacLarens could 



120 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

AN AIR VIEW OF HARPERS FERRY 


look down upon streams that flashed in the bright 
sunlight. Almost a tenth of the state had been 
made into parks. Once, in the early morning, 
Peter caught sight of a deer crashing through 
the brush, and several times he and Nancy ex¬ 
claimed at the sight of pheasant or quail running 
across the road. 

A short distance below Wheeling they saw one 
of the largest remaining earthworks of the 
Mound Builders. The lowest point in the state. 
Harpers Ferry, was historically important. Here, 
where the Shenandoah River met the Potomac, 
was the site of John Brownes fort. 




A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


121 


As they traveled along in comfort, stopping 
at good hotels, Uncle Lee told them of George 
Washington’s work as a geographer in the same 
country. His travels on horseback took him far 
and wide, though he found no good roads, no 
pleasant inns, and few settlements. 

“West Virginia ranks second to Pennsylvania 
in coal production,” Uncle Lee explained. 

“I’ve never heard of West Virginia as an agri¬ 
cultural state,” Nancy said, “but I have never 
seen richer looking farms.” 

“And I’ve never heard of West Virginia as a 
lumber state,” Peter added. “Yet I have never 
seen finer forests.” 

“Right, both of you!” Uncle Lee agreed. 
“West Virginia has her farms and forests, but 
she is leading more and more in manufacturing. 
She has what is needed to make manufacturing 
successful—coal, oil, gas, and electric power. 
Wheeling, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkers¬ 
burg, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Fairmont, 
Moundsville, and other manufacturing cities 
turn out products valued at many millions of 
dollars each year. Charleston is the capital. I 
wish we had time to visit some of these places.” 

Back over the lovely, winding highways and 
on into New Jersey, the “Garden State,” went 
the MacLarens. Through Uncle Lee’s discussion 
they pictured Trenton, the capital, as the town 





122 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



THE SILK MILLS OF PATERSON 

where pottery, porcelain, bricks, tiles, and china 
were fashioned. Lakehurst and Kearny were 
important to shipping. 

“At Princeton,” Peter volunteered, airing his 
knowledge, “are the famous university and the 
noted radio tower of the transatlantic station.” 

“How about Newark?” Uncle Lee asked, and 
answered his own question. “The leather indus¬ 
try is of great importance. Paints and varnishes 
from Newark brighten up many of our western 
homes. Do you remember what delicious breads 



A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


123 


we enjoyed in Delaware? Well, Newark is mak¬ 
ing New Jersey very well known for its bread 
and other bakery products. Paterson is the 
leading silk-manufacturing city in the United 
States. Over one-half of its factory workers are 
employed in the many silk mills. New Bruns¬ 
wick is the oldest incorporated city in the United 
States. As for Atlantic City—” 

“Oh, Uncle Lee, let us see Atlantic City,” 
Nancy begged. “I’ve heard that it’s different 
from any other city in the United States!” 

“We’ll see it,” Uncle Lee consented. “We may 
be a little early in the season, but we’ll be much 
more comfortable than we would be if we went 
on the Fourth of July or Labor Day when two 
or three hundred thousand people are there.” 

Riding through New Jersey, Peter and Nancy 
were not surprised to see the many gardens and 
fields, though they knew the state was famed for 
its manufacturing, also. There were vast fields 
where berries, cabbage, eggplant, peppers, and 
tomatoes were grown. Once the MacLarens even 
saw a cranberry bog. 

Atlantic City, Uncle Lee pointed out, was jtist 
a strip of sand less than a mile wide and ten 
miles long. To Peter and Nancy it was a fairy¬ 
land of blue ocean, golden sand beach, gay awn¬ 
ings and gayer umbrellas, beautiful resort places, 
and hotels, theaters, and pavilions. Above all. 



124 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

CULTIVATED BLUEBERRIES IN THE GARDEN STATE 

there was the famed Boardwalk. It was not at 
all like the boardwalks they had seen in some 
lumber towns. It was a great “highway,” wide 
as a boulevard, and there were seven miles of it, 
from the Inlet through Atlantic City itself and 
on through Ventnor and Margate City. A num¬ 
ber of years ago. Uncle Lee said, the boards were 
laid on the sand and were taken in every winter, 
but now the walk was constructed on concrete 
pillars and steel beams. 

Peter and Nancy walked. Everybody walked. 
People passed them saying, “I never walked so 



A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


125 



James Sawders 

THE BOARDWALK AT ATLANTIC CITY 

much in my life!” When they could walk no 
more, they rode in rolling chairs. It was fun 
riding in the chairs which were pushed by good- 
natured boys or men. Under the canopy of a 
chair one could enjoy the changing views as well 
as the refreshing ocean air. 

“I suppose the biggest industry here is the 
tourist industry,” Peter suggested from his roll¬ 
ing chair. 

“That and ‘salt-water taffy,’ ” Uncle Lee agreed, 
as he stopped to purchase a bag of the taffy. 







126 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


it really made with salt water?^^ Nancy 
inquired. 

guess the first batch was/’ Uncle Lee ex¬ 
plained. ‘‘One day, so it is said, salt water 
splashed over a batch of taffy, and the dealer, 
being a thrifty person, offered it for sale as 
salt-water taffy. The name made a hit. Today 
machines turn out more than two million pounds 
a year.” 

There was an air of gaiety about Atlantic 
City. Everybody seemed to be in holiday mood. 
Peter admired the Atlantic City Beach Patrol. 
Uncle Lee said they were not only picturesque 
but able. They had a fine record in lifesaving. 

As the MacLarens traveled north. Uncle Lee 
reminded Peter and Nancy that New Jersey 
had not only a seashore but a wide plain, an 
upland plateau, a lowland, and some mountains. 

“You might be interested in knowing that 
there were once two ‘Jerseys,’ ” Uncle Lee ex¬ 
plained. “There was East New Jersey and West 
New Jersey. East New Jersey was settled largely 
by Puritans from New England, while West 
New Jersey was settled by Quakers.” 

At Newark the MacLarens took a plane. Uncle 
Lee saying, “Pm going to show you the state of 
New York before we go to New York City.” 

“The state’s most important city is right on 
the Atlantic Ocean!” Peter shouted. “And 



A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


127 



Ewing Galloway 

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL BRIDGE 


it is on the Hudson and East Rivers, too!'' 

'The state of New York lies right between 
the New England states and the states farther 
south," Uncle Lee continued. "Foreign shipping 
comes in from the Atlantic. The Mississippi Valley 
business is brought in by railway and also by 
the canals which make up the New York State 
Barge Canal System. It uses the Mohawk River 
as well as the Hudson. But with improved high¬ 
ways and railways, the water courses are not 
so important as they once were." 




128 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


The plane passed over the new George Wash¬ 
ington Memorial Bridge across the Hudson River 
between New Jersey and New York City. From 
the sky the four great cables that held it up looked 
like frail wires. But these cables were really a 
yard in diameter. Uncle Lee also said that the 
span between the high towers was 3,500 feet 
long, making the bridge a remarkably large sus¬ 
pension bridge. 

The plane followed the Hudson River Valley. 
Albany came into view and presently the plane 
sailed over the city, right above State Street, 
with the Capitol on the hilltop at the end of the 
street. As they soared above Schenectady, Uncle 
Lee told of the locomotives and electrical equip¬ 
ment made there. 

The Mohawk River Valley up which the plane 
flew was as interesting as the Hudson and quite 
as beautiful. The city of Utica with its great 
output of snowy sheets, Rome with its butter 
and cheese, and Syracuse with its washing soda 
and bleaching powder, were passed one after the 
other. On the Genesee River, Rochester appeared 
on the landscape below. Peter and Nancy in¬ 
stantly thought, “Kodaks and motion-picture 
film!” 

Buffalo lay ahead, at the eastern end of Lake 
Erie. Uncle Lee said that Buffalo was one of the 
finest harbors on the Great Lakes and was a 



A MIDDLE ATLANTIC JAUNT 


129 



Chicago Aerial Survey 
NIAGARA FALLS FROM THE AIR 

world port. He told Peter and Nancy also of the 
hydroelectric power derived from Niagara Falls 
and used by the many manufacturing plants in 
the city. 

‘‘And even though Niagara is not the highest 
waterfall in our country/^ added Uncle Lee, “I 
believe it attracts more visitors than any of 
the others.’’ 

Seeing Niagara Falls from the air was a new 
experience to Peter and Nancy. On their trip 
to Canada they had watched the mighty plunge 








130 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


of water from the Canadian side of the river, 
and they had marveled at the white lace made 
by the blowing spray. They had followed the 
narrow white trail to the gorges and seen the 
breath-taking beauty of those rushing waters. 
And now as they looked down upon the thrilling 
beauty of the blue water as it thundered into 
deep canyons of foamy whiteness, Nancy declared 
that the view of the falls from the air was the 
most magnificent one of all. 



THE GIANT CITY 


A fter their plane returned to Newark the 
- MacLarens took a bus into Jersey City. 

‘T want you to have the experience of seeing 
New York City^s skyline from the water in late 
afternoon/' said Uncle Lee, ‘‘so we'll take a ferry¬ 
boat across from here." 

In a few minutes Peter and Nancy were catch¬ 
ing a glimpse of New York City. Seeing the 
great skyline was an event they always looked 
forward to, and they were never disappointed 
with it. 

It was almost dusk, and at first the shadowy 
buildings appeared like those on an indistinct 
film. Then the last rays of the sun lighted up 
the scene briefly, and it became a fairy city of 
skyscrapers. New York City really was built 
on several islands, but to the visitors it meant 
just the part that was on Manhattan Island. 

“It looks as though a giant child had piled his 
blocks up and up, as high as they would go with¬ 
out toppling over," said Peter. 

“It doesn't seem real to me," Nancy answered. 
“I never dreamed that skyscrapers could be so 
beautiful and so—so awesome." 

Uncle Lee was thinking in figures, but it 


131 


132 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



United Air Lines 


NEW YORK CITY 

scarcely seemed the time or the place to mention 
the fact that the Empire State Building was 102 
stories high and that elevators were more impor¬ 
tant there than stairs. 

All he said was, “Yes, the scenery is sort of— 
up!” 

Now the ferry had brought its passengers to 
the opposite shore, and soon the MacLarens were 
climbing on a large bus. The traffic through 
which the bus threaded its way brought Peter 
and Nancy sharply back to earth. New York 
traffic was like traffic anywhere, except that it 



THE GIANT CITY 


133 


was a little thicker, a little noisier, and a little 
more exciting. 

The MacLarens were scarcely settled in their 
suite of rooms on the tenth story of their hotel 
near Eockefeller Center when the telephone rang. 
The brief, eager conversation sounded exciting. 
Then Uncle Lee turned to the curious children. 

^The Dustins!’’ he announced. “They are in 
New York for a short time and want us to come 
to lunch tomorrow.” 

“How about Jimmy?” Peter inquired. 

“Jimmy is in Chicago,” Uncle Lee answered. 
“But he sent word that he plans to fly us west. 
Won’t that be fun?” 

Soon the city was shining with lights, the bril¬ 
liant flashing lights of theaters and restaurants, 
and the steadier lights of thousands and thou¬ 
sands of windows—little gold squares that seemed 
to turn into stars as they rose into an orderly sky. 
Peter said he believed they really did touch the 
sky, and Uncle Lee admitted that clouds often 
seemed to float about the penthouses on the tops 
of the tall apartment houses and office buildings. 
He said that such buildings were often humor¬ 
ously called “cloud ticklers.” 

“Let’s ride on top of a double-deck bus,” Nancy 
begged as the three adventurers stepped through 
the revolving doors of the hotel. “Pve always 
wanted to ride up Fifth Avenue on a bus top. 



134 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


As one of the big busses came slowly to a stop, 
Peter climbed aboard and ran up the steep narrow 
steps to the top deck. Nancy and Uncle Lee 
followed him. The shop windows were so fasci¬ 
nating that Nancy could not see nearly enough in 
passing, but Peter was always gazing up in awe 
and wonder at the towering forest of skyscrapers. 

‘^How high will they go. Uncle Lee?^^ asked 
Peter. Then he added, ''Why are they built 
so tall?^^ 

Uncle Lee refused to say how high he thought 
skyscrapers might reach, but he offered as a 
reason for their existence the fact that Man¬ 
hattan Island was only thirteen and a half miles 
long and a little over two and a quarter miles 
at its widest place. This made the cost of land 
on which business buildings were to be con¬ 
structed very high. "Besides,'^ Uncle Lee added, 
"a tall and unusual building is of great adver¬ 
tising value to a business.’’ 

"I guess that’s right,” Peter agreed. "I can’t 
remember when I didn’t know about the famous 
Woolworth Tower. Maybe some of our family’s 
dimes helped to build it. It’s only sixty stories 
high, isn’t it?” 

'Vnly is scarcely the word, but we’ll let that 
pass,” Uncle Lee said. "The Woolworth Building 
is 792 feet high. When you say only, you’re con¬ 
trasting it with other and newer skyscrapers. 



THE GIANT CITY 


135 



Chicago Aerial Survey 

BOATS AND SKYSCRAPERS 


The Bank of Manhattan is 838 feet high, the 
Chrysler Building is 1046 feet, and the Empire 
State Building 1,248 feet high. And that’s a high 
high!” 

The bus passed churches, clubs, fashionable 
shops, and some very handsome stone houses. 
There were no wires to be seen anywhere, no glar¬ 
ing signs, and no pushcarts. Uncle Lee explained 
that Fifth Avenue separated the East from the 
West Side of New York and that it was still con¬ 
sidered a fashionable street of the city. 

They rode through Central Park with its huge 








136 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Eucing Galloway 

CENTRAL PARK IN NEW YORK CITY 

red rocks sticking up through the greenery in 
places. It reminded them that Manhattan, with 
its solid rock base, made a fine solid foundation 
on which to build skyscrapers. 

^‘Central Park is noted for the great variety of 
people which it attracts,^^ Uncle Lee said. ‘‘You 
see, many of the people of New York City live in 
very crowded places. They have few opportuni¬ 
ties to enjoy the out-of-doors. That is why Cen¬ 
tral Park is such a prized possession. It has 
many things for the people to enjoy. There are 



THE GIANT CITY 


137 


nine miles of driveways, six miles of bridle paths, 
and thirty miles of walks. During the summer 
free concerts are enjoyed here by large crowds 
of people.” 

“No wonder all New Yorkers love Central 
Park!” Nancy exclaimed. 

Later, Peter was much excited over the new 
“set-back” architecture of which one of the big 
hotels was a beautiful example. Uncle Lee said 
that the new architecture was not designed for 
beauty alone but for safety. Engineers had many 
problems to solve that had to do with weight, 
stress, wires, and elevators. Also the new “set¬ 
back” apartment houses gave sunlight and tiny 
garden spaces to the people who lived in them. 

The next day the Dustins received the Mac- 
Larens in a small apartment that somehow 
seemed to appear spacious because of its long 
living room. Mrs. Dustin took Nancy into the 
tiny kitchen, and they both laughed when Nancy 
said, “I wonder how many times this would go 
into our farm kitchen!” 

Mrs. Dustin’s stove, cupboards, and electric 
refrigerator were all within reach from the 
middle of the floor. Her fresh vegetables, she 
showed Nancy, came in little containers and had 
been cleaned, ready for cooking. In New York 
apartments one couldn’t do canning, nor could 
one store potatoes and root vegetables for the 



138 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


winter. Nancy thought she and Peter would miss 
the well-stocked cellar at home. 

One end of the living room became a dining 
room when lunch was served, and Mr. Dustin 
showed the children how the other end could be 
turned into a bedroom at night by making up a 
studio couch and pulling out a folding bed from 
its closet. 

As he finished his dessert, Uncle Lee asked, “Do 
you miss your flower garden, Mrs. Dustin?” 

For an answer Mrs. Dustin opened a French 
window and invited her guests to step out upon 
the narrow stone balcony with her. Here she 
had placed a few palms, some potted geraniums, 
and a little box of tulips and jonquils. 

“No, one would hardly call this a garden,” she 
admitted. “But I want you to see some real 
gardens. Look, over there,” she pointed, and 
laughed good-naturedly. “Jimmy’s father calls 
them the hanging gardens of Babylon.” 

The three MacLarens looked down on the other 
buildings and the other balconies below. They 
saw roof gardens with real grass and carefully 
tended flowers. What a colorful sight these gar¬ 
dens presented to those who gazed down upon 
them! 

During the afternoon the MacLarens listened 
to Mr. Dustin tell about one of the big sky¬ 
scrapers. He said it was like a town in itself. 



THE GIANT CITY 


139 


furnishing its own water, heat, light, cleaning 
department, and police protection. It even had 
a fire department. Peter was most interested 
in the fact that there were upright water mains 
in the building. Of course a fireman could not 
run up forty stories, dragging a hose after him. 
When Mr. Dustin went on to say that the streets 
downtown were always so crowded that coal 
trucks couldn’t get the coal to the buildings fast 
enough to keep them heated, Peter and Nancy 
both sat forward on their chairs. What did the 
people do? How were the buildings heated? 
Mr. Dustin said they were heated from central 
heating plants some distance'away. 

‘'When we first came to the city I wondered 
how all the people managed to get to work and 
get home again when the day was over,” said 
Mrs. Dustin. 

“How do they do it?” Nancy inquired. 

“You’ll see before you leave,” replied Mrs. 
Dustin. “New York has many different means 
of transportation. There are taxis, busses, street¬ 
cars, and elevated trains, but these handle only 
a small part of the crowd. The largest number 
of people go by subway and railroad. The speedy 
electric trains which run through great tunnels 
carry them to their destinations in good time.” 

When the MacLarens said good-by that after¬ 
noon, Mrs. Dustin said, “We’re so glad you came. 



140 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


There are over two thousand people in this apart¬ 
ment building, yet I don’t know a single one out¬ 
side my own family. It seems good to see people 
we know again.” 

Nancy’s eyes were wide. She knew how very 
welcome their visit had been. 

The next day the MacLarens had lunch on the 
eighty-sixth floor of the Empire State Building, 
and from this great height they studied the 
scene below them. 

“Over there,” Uncle Lee said, “is Jersey City. 
Not far from Jersey City is Ellis Island. Many 
of the immigrants entering this country land 
there for examination. Next comes Bedloe Island, 
or Liberty Island as it is now called, where the 
Goddess of Liberty holds aloft her great torch.” 

“The Statue of Liberty!” Peter and Nancy 
shouted in one voice, and Peter added, “It serves 
as a lighthouse.” 

“Right you are!” Uncle Lee agreed. “The pedes¬ 
tal is of stone, and the huge statue is of bronze. 
The Goddess was presented by the people of 
France to the United States in 1881. The statue 
is 151 feet from heel to tip of the torch. One 
finger is eight feet long. 

“But let us look farther. There are a number 
of interesting spots around us. We are on Man¬ 
hattan Island, as you know, which is New York 
proper. Next we see Governors Island, then the 



THE GIANT CITY 


141 



Chicago Aerial Survey 

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ON LIBERTY ISLAND 

East River. And beyond we see part of Brook¬ 
lyn on Long Island.” 

The MacLarens made many delightful pilgrim¬ 
ages in Manhattan. Peter was most interested 
in Wall Street, which was so narrow that it 
looked like a canyon. Here were housed great 
banks, great insurance companies, and great 
exchanges, including the New York Stock Ex¬ 
change. The buildings were dignified, often 
frowning, Peter thought. 

They saw famous old Trinity Church at the 



142 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


end of the narrow street of financial buildings. 
Here in its churchyard were buried many of New 
York’s famous citizens of an earlier time. With 
all the tearing down of old buildings and putting 
up of new, this church had been permitted to 
stand. A fast-growing city, Peter and Nancy 
knew, had to sacrifice much of the old, but 
New York had tried to keep the best. 

New York’s problems were many. Uncle Lee 
said, for instance, that the city used about a 
billion gallons of water on a hot day. Peter and 
Nancy were interested to learn that the water 
came through the Catskill Aqueduct which 
brought it from the watersheds far up in the 
Catskill Mountains. 

Where did all the food come from? That puz¬ 
zled Peter and Nancy, too, especially when Uncle 
Lee told them of the carloads of fresh fruits, vege¬ 
tables, butter, and other foodstuffs which New 
York City consumed in a day. Most of the food 
came in by rail, by truck, and by boat. A very 
little came by airplane. 

At the docks Peter and Nancy saw boats from 
South America and from Europe unloading 
foodstuffs. California steamers were quite com¬ 
mon. In the railway freight depots they saw 
countless refrigerator cars unloading. And they 
knew that each day hundreds of trucks brought 
in great quantities of farm produce. 



THE GIANT CITY 


143 


“All roads lead to New York City!” Uncle Lee 
remarked. “There are millions of people to be 
served.” 

The MacLarens rode through the great Holland 
Tunnel which is used by so many vehicles each 
day. They viewed the city’s famous suspen¬ 
sion bridges, of which the Triborough Bridge was 
the newest. Peter and Nancy were particularly 
interested in the Brooklyn Bridge because it had 
been the first to span the East River. The George 
Washington Memorial Bridge was even more 
impressive than it had seemed from the air. 

With more subways being built, underground 
New York was busy transporting thousands of 
people both day and night. Also, a great new 
elevated automobile speedway had been built 
directly over the crowded traffic along the Hud¬ 
son River. 

Peter and Nancy enjoyed riding in the subway 
quite as much as in busses and taxicabs or on the 
elevated lines. Uncle Lee pointed out the fact 
that it was no easy task to build subways. There 
were already so many pipes underground—for 
electric wires, water, and gas—that engineers 
found it hard to make space for new subways. 

The subway fares were very inexpensive. Peter 
and Nancy paid seventy-five cents to ride out to 
the American Museum of Natural History in a 
taxi, but only a nickel to ride home in the subway. 



144 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



A STAGE SHOW AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL 

In Eockefeller Center one day, the MacLarens 
went up into one of the large studios, and, after 
seeing a broadcast, visited the Radio City Music 
Hall to see a stage show. 

Another bus trip took the MacLarens to the 
Bowery, to Little Italy, to the Ghetto, and to 
Chinatown, thickly populated districts of tene¬ 
ments and rooming houses. 

Chinatown with its narrow, crooked streets, 
its queer little shops, and its puzzling signs was 
a fascinating place to see. So was Harlem with 




THE GIANT CITY 


145 



ROCKEFELLER CENTER 


its busy streets and its crowds of negroes who 
lived there. Nancy adored ^‘Brasstown/' where 
anything from a huge brass cask to a beautiful 
samovar or a dainty candlestick could be pur¬ 
chased at a reasonable price from a dealer whose 
















































146 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Charles Phelps Cushing 

WEST POINT ON THE HUDSON 

Russian ancestors had sold brass for generations. 

“Pushcart Town,” with its carts from which 
peddlers sold everything from eatables to worn 
shoes and rusty nails, was just as exciting to 
Peter as a circus. He saw a man buy an alarm 
clock with its springs hanging loose, a woman 
pick up a broken fan with ivory sticks, and a 
small boy buy a bent curtain rod. Peter himself 
purchased some bananas. 

Peter and Nancy had expected the tenements 
to be dark, terrible places. They were agreeably 



THE GIANT CITY 


147 


surprised to learn that some tenement districts 
had been replaced by modern apartment buildings 
and that many tenement dwellers had been able 
to move elsewhere. New York had everything 
to offer from fine schools and libraries to free 
training for trades and many other kinds of work. 

Peter wanted to visit the United States Mili¬ 
tary Academy. So one afternoon the MacLarens 
drove up along the majestic Hudson to West 
Point. The towering mountains in the back¬ 
ground and the river on the opposite side made 
an ideal location for such an important training 
center. The gray stone buildings, the monuments, 
and the spacious grounds presented an impres¬ 
sive picture. Uncle Lee explained that upon 
graduation the cadets in training here would 
receive commissions in the United States Army. 

The MacLarens said good-by to New York by 
visiting Rockefeller Center once more. To Peter 
and Nancy New York had been a place of en¬ 
chantment. 



TWO OF THE ORIGINAL STATES 

J UST before leaving New York City, the Mac- 
Larens received an invitation to spend a week 
end on a farm not far from Boston. 

“The Dustins want us to take their car,” Uncle 
Lee announced. “They’ll meet us in Boston and 
go on through New Hampshire and Maine with 
us, coming back through Vermont, the ‘Green 
Mountain State.’ ” 

“Perfect!” Peter and Nancy decided when 
Uncle Lee told them of the plans. 

“Connecticut,” Uncle Lee remarked, as the three 
travelers left New York City behind, “is, as you 
know, one of the thirteen original states. It is 
often called the ‘Nutmeg State,’ which doesn’t 
indicate in any measure what the state really 
produces. You’ll be surprised.” 

The MacLarens crossed the New York State 
boundary by the Boston Post Road. Greenwich, 
with its private yachts in the harbor and its 
shore and country estates, was a delightful con¬ 
trast to bustling New York. 

“Old Greenwich has few industries,” Uncle Lee 
said. “Vacuum cleaners and electric refrigera¬ 
tors are made here. But the principal business 
is commuting to New York.” 


148 


TWO OF THE ORIGINAL STATES 


149 



AN OLD NEW ENGLAND FIREPLACE 

Uncle Lee pointed out a house as the car crossed 
the border. 'This, on your right,’' he informed 
Peter and Nancy, "is the Thomas Lyon Home¬ 
stead. It was built in 1670. Its style of archi¬ 
tecture is quite typical of old Connecticut houses. 
The shape is similar to the old wooden salt box, 
such as we have behind our cooking stove on the 
farm. The walls of this house are said to be 
covered with the original shingles of white pine.” 

The car climbed a long hill into Greenwich 






150 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


proper, and the children exclaimed as through 
the cross streets they caught glimpses of the shin¬ 
ing water of Long Island Sound. 

Uncle Lee followed a well-traveled highway 
inland to Waterbury, which, he said, was one 
of the great manufacturing cities of the state. 

^^And the brass center of the world!’’ he added. 
“I’m sure it will appeal to Nancy.” 

The MacLarens entered the city expecting to 
find an ordinary factory town. They were amazed 
at the many impressive structures and the fine 
business buildings. 

Uncle Lee told Peter and Nancy a little about 
the pioneers in the brass industry. As early as 
1750 John Allen was making brass buttons and 
buckles. Henry Grilley had a little workshop in 
his home around 1790 and was manufacturing 
pewter buttons. Later, Henry Grilley joined 
Abel and Levi Porter, and they began making 
buttons from sheet brass. These pioneers went 
about the country purchasing old kettles and ship 
sheathing to obtain copper, and they fused their 
own brass. They had to send it to an iron forge 
in Litchfield to be rolled between the steel rollers. 

“These pioneer manufacturers who began their 
work in home shops,” Uncle Lee continued, “built 
up the great businesses of today.” 

“Peter,” said Uncle Lee, “you may be surprised 
to know that your watch was made here.” 



TWO OF THE ORIGINAL STATES 


151 



THE PARTS THAT MAKE A WATCH 

Peter glanced at his trusty Ingersoll and said, 
“I never thought I’d be in the town that made 
this. If they made these watches a little bigger, 
they could be used as combination watches and 
clocks.” 

“Clocks are made in Norwich,” Uncle Lee in¬ 
formed Peter. “Thomas Harland, an English 
mechanic, started making clocks, watches, and 
jewelry in Norwich in 1773. But speaking of 
time, it’s time we turned seaward again if we 
expect to reach New Haven by evening.” 



152 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


The MacLarens saw New Haven from a dis¬ 
tance as a city of towers which, on closer inspec¬ 
tion, proved to be churches, schools, and business 
buildings. Uncle Lee said that the city was 
situated on a sandy plain, but the well-kept 
yards, the beautiful campus of Yale University, 
and the flower gardens certainly hid the sandy 
plain admirably. Red cliffs of East and West 
Rocks flanked the city, and the shallow but good 
harbor opened up before it, a harbor formed by 
the flowing together of three rivers, the Quinni- 
piac, the Mill, and the West. 

The MacLarens remained overnight in New 
Haven, and early the next morning they started 
out for Yale University. The innkeeper gave 
them directions, all of which started with the 
Green, quite as though New Haven were still 
a village. 

Walking through Phelps Gateway, the Mac¬ 
Larens found themselves on the old campus. 
Peter and Nancy looked at one fine building 
after another. To them it seemed as though 
there were a whole city of buildings. They ad¬ 
mired most of all the seam-faced granite of rich 
color with sandstone trimming. Much of this 
granite. Uncle Lee said, had been mined near 
the coast, right in Connecticut. 

Late that afternoon, as they crossed West River 
with its handsome parks, the MacLarens had a 



TWO OF THE ORIGINAL STATES 


153 


glimpse of the famed Yale Bowl, the field where 
so many exciting football games were played. 

Soon they were following the Connecticut River 
to Hartford. 

Uncle Lee said, ^The Connecticut River is one 
of the most important rivers in this section of the 
country. It flows between Vermont and New 
Hampshire and through both Massachusetts and 
Connecticut.’^ 

Before long Uncle Lee was driving past green 
fields, many of them covered with white cotton 
screens. He did not call attention to the fields 
but waited for Peter and Nancy to notice them. 

'Tobacco!” Peter shouted, all of a sudden. 
"You’d think we were in Virginia!” 

"I might have guessed,” cried Nancy. "Uncle 
Lee told me some time ago that there were 
tobacco fields in Hartford County.” 

As the car sped northward, the fields of tobacco 
continued to be part of the scenery. 

Peter and Nancy studied the skyline eagerly 
as they approached Hartford. They already knew 
that it was the capital of Connecticut, and that 
it was the insurance center of the United States. 
But they were surprised when Uncle Lee told 
them that many of the fine buildings which 
they saw were the home offices of more than 
forty of the largest insurance companies in the 
United States. In addition, Hartford was an 



154 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


important manufacturing center, making ma¬ 
chines and tools, typewriters, guns, brushes, and 
aircraft. 

As the MacLarens rode through the streets, 
they saw the spires of picturesque old churches 
and admired the old white colonial buildings 
for which this region is famous. They felt that 
the people of Connecticut had a right to be proud 
of their State Capitol, built of Connecticut marble. 

Their stay was too brief, but Uncle Lee had a 
business appointment in Providence. 

^‘That means we^ll see ^Little Rhody,’ the small¬ 
est state in the Union and another of the thirteen 
original states,’^ Peter said. 

^The land of Roger Williams!^’ Nancy cried. 

^‘Rhode Island’s a land of many surprises,” 
Uncle Lee promised. would visit fashion¬ 

able Newport, located on an island in Narragan- 
sett Bay, if we had time. At Bristol we’d see 
the old Bosworth House built in 1680, if we 
had time. And I’d like to show you the old Slater 
Mill at Pawtucket, the first successful cotton fac¬ 
tory in the United States.” 

'Tf we had time!” Nancy put in mischievously. 
''Anyway, we’re going to see Providence.” 

Instead of going directly to the business sec¬ 
tion of Providence, Uncle Lee went through Roger 
Williams Park, a particularly fitting entrance, 
since it was Roger Williams who had given the 



TWO OF THE ORIGINAL STATES 


155 


city its name. The town was settled in 1636, 
Uncle Lee said. Early writers told of the violets 
in the beautiful woods and of the maples that 
covered the hillsides. Later the people adopted 
the violet as the state flower and the maple as the 
state tree. 

Peter and Nancy were soon exclaiming over 
the fine picnic grounds, the lawn tennis courts, 
and the zoological section, especially the monkey 
island. But Uncle Lee declared they were seeing 
only a small part of the park. There were really 
451 acres of wooded knolls along with level fields 
and garden plots, and a chain of lakes strung 
like blue beads dotted the lovely countryside. 

The MacLarens found Providence to be a thriv¬ 
ing modern city, with an excellent harbor. 

There were electric cars, good bus lines, and 
a fine railroad to carry people quickly and com¬ 
fortably to the outlying parts of the state. It 
was easy to reach Narragansett Bay or any of 
its streams, bays, or coves in a short time. 

In the residential parts of the city through 
which Uncle Lee drove, there were several homes 
of the pre-Revolution days. In fact, so peaceful 
and beautiful were the surroundings that Peter 
and Nancy would have failed to realize the im¬ 
portance of Providence as a commercial city had 
Uncle Lee not reminded them that Providence 
was one of the leading cities of the United States 



156 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


for the manufacture of jewelry, silverware, tex¬ 
tiles, textile machinery, and tools. 

say there were two hundred factories en¬ 
gaged in the making of jewelry alone,’' Uncle 
Lee estimated. ''Each year they handle millions 
of dollars worth of business.” 

He went on to say that nine out of every ten 
people in Rhode Island lived in the cities—about 
half of them in Providence and Pawtucket. 

During their drives around Providence, Peter 
and Nancy saw many fine dairy farms, truck 
gardens, and orchards, some of them in bloom. 

"Rhode Island may be the smallest state in 
the Union, but that doesn’t keep it from being 
one of the most progressive,” Peter declared, as 
their Rhode Island visit drew near to a close. 



HISTORIC BOSTON 


P ROVIDENCE/’ Peter decided, studying his 
map at the dinner table one evening, ‘‘is 
the center of a v^heel. Highways reach out from 
it like spokes. If we should follow the Boston 
Post Road out Hope Street, we’d cross the city of 
Pawtucket to North Attleboro in Massachusetts 
and reach Boston in almost no time at all.” 

“That’s just what we’re going to do,” Uncle 
Lee promised. 

The MacLarens spent a week in Boston, once 
a village with a Common on which cows grazed 
and a harbor in which lay clipper ships that 
traded with the Far East. Now Metropolitan 
Boston was a community of over two million 
people. Peter and Nancy found it quite as busy 
and crowded as New York but without the sky¬ 
scraper skyline. But there were things about 
the skyline that they loved—the golden dome of 
the Statehouse, the Old North Church, and the 
Customhouse, Boston’s only skyscraper. On clear 
days. Uncle Lee said, it served as a landmark for 
ships at sea. 

Peter and Nancy loved the narrow, crooked 
streets that had once been cowpaths. Uncle Lee 
let them wander for hours through streets whose 


157 


158 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


produce could be told by the smells. They found 
streets smelling of leather, of fish, and of wool, 
and they enjoyed most of all the wharf which 
smelled of fragrant bananas. 

There was one street that climbed a hill where 
the smell of fresh ink and newsprint was strongly 
in the air. Nancy loved the sidewalk shops 
where one could browse among the books as long 
as he chose, then pay for the books of his choice 
in the basement shop. There were many books on 
family histories, and the shopkeeper said he did a 
big business in these. He said, ‘^Almost every¬ 
body wants to know who his ancestors were.^^ 

It was a great book city, anyway. Uncle Lee 
said, and added that it was one of the textbook 
manufacturing centers of the United States. 
Schoolbooks were shipped out, not by the dozen, 
but in car lots. 

‘^Not only does Boston supply many school¬ 
books,’’ he said, as one pleasant afternoon the 
trio walked toward an oblong patch of ground 
which is known as Boston Common, the oldest 
public park in the United States, ''but it pro¬ 
duces many other things in great quantity. Right 
around us are more than five thousand factories 
and over 25,000 stores. Yet you won’t find the 
average Bostonian boasting. You see, he doesn’t 
have to. His city has one of the finest natural 
harbors on the Atlantic coast, the largest dry 



HISTORIC BOSTON 


159 



Kaufmann & Fabry 

FISHING VESSELS IN BOSTON HARBOR 

dock in the United States, and the world’s great¬ 
est fish-freezing and cold-storage plant. It is in 
one of the most important cotton-manufacturing 






160 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


districts in the United States, and also the coun¬ 
try’s principal wool market. Besides it is the 
center of the largest shoe manufacturing industry 
in the world.” 

^^Boston has come a long way since the early 
pioneer days,” Peter remarked. 

Peter and Nancy visited the Old Oyster House 
to watch the wriggling lobsters in the window 
tanks. They wandered along Court Street to 
watch the pipe artists who sat outside and carved 
strange figures on the bowls of meerschaum 
pipes. They visited the older section of the city 
where the famous historic shrines attracted all 
lovers of early American history. 

Business seemed to fiow into Boston from all 
over Massachusetts, as well as from Connecticut 
and Rhode Island. Uncle Lee said it was partly 
because of their rivers. The Merrimack, like 
the Connecticut and other smaller rivers, had 
a constant fiow of water, a rapid fall near the 
coast, and deep tidal inlets which made for 
plenty of water power and good harbors. Water 
power was cheap power, and even when steam 
was needed, coal could always be brought in 
from Pennsylvania. Boston’s harbor was deep 
and wide, and, since the building of the Cape 
Cod Canal, a ship from New York could save 
more than seventy-five miles. 

It was interesting to see how busy the rail- 



HISTORIC BOSTON 


161 



SOLING SHOES IN A FACTORY 


roads were, hauling in produce from the dif¬ 
ferent Massachusetts towns to be shipped to 
places in this country and to foreign countries as 
well. Uncle Lee said that near-by Brockton made 
millions of pairs of men’s shoes a year and that 
Lynn made women’s shoes, while Haverhill made 
the slippers. Toys came in from Winchendon, 
and Uncle Lee said that a big wooden horse 
beside the railway station indicated that it was 
Toy Town. Holyoke turned out many tons of 




162 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


fine paper daily, while Dalton made the paper 
for bank notes and government bonds. Countless 
yards of cloth came from Fall River and New 
Bedford, while Lowell and Lawrence, on the 
Merrimack River, employed thousands of workers 
in textile mills. 

There were so many places of historical interest 
that Peter and Nancy imagined that they could 
almost feel the presence of the famous men and 
women who once trod the streets of the city. 
Peter climbed to the top of Bunker Hill Monu¬ 
ment, which marked the spot where the first 
battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. 
Nancy spent an afternoon with Uncle Lee in 
Faneuil Hall, often called the ‘Uradle of Ameri¬ 
can Liberty.’^ It was here that many of our 
early patriots met and helped to make American 
history. Later, Peter and Nancy strolled along 
the wharves where some fifty or sixty men and 
boys, disguised as Indians, had once emptied the 
chests of British tea into the water at the famous 
Boston Tea Party. And they saw the old North 
Church, in the steeple of which lanterns had been 
hung as a signal to Paul Revere of the approach 
of the British. They visited Paul Revere’s house, 
a simple old home which must have been much 
crowded at times. 

One of the greatest thrills was a visit to the 
Navy Yard at Charlestown where Old Ironsides 



HISTORIC BOSTON 


163 


happened to be in the harbor. Peter and Nancy 
climbed aboard the old frigate. The original 
wheel had been shot away in 1812, but the ship, 
rebuilt and restored to her original condition by 
pennies given by school children, was sturdy and 
strong again. 

The MacLarens drove to Gloucester, the great 
salt-fishing port, located about thirty miles from 
Boston. Peter and Nancy thought that the rocky 
coast, the small tracts of cultivated land, and the 
quaint old houses and streets made it one of the 
most picturesque places they had visited. 

They saw the well-known monument which 
had been erected in memory of the fishermen who 
had lost their lives at sea. As they gazed at the 
monument. Uncle Lee explained that for three 
centuries fishing had been the principal occupa¬ 
tion of the people in Gloucester. 

The last few days in Boston passed only too 
soon. One afternoon the three MacLarens visited 
Cambridge, a suburb of Boston, and known every¬ 
where as the home of Harvard University. While 
Peter strolled about to see the old gates, the 
old dormitories, and the fine libraries. Uncle 
Lee and Nancy went into the botanical section of 
the museum to see the glass flowers. These 
flowers were so perfect in coloring and form as 
to seem real. Nancy liked particularly a spray 
of anemones such as she and Peter picked in the 




I THEY THAT GO 

DOWN TO THE SEA 
1^" IN SHIPS 


Ewing Galloway 

THE FISHERMEN’S MEMORIAL AT GLOUCESTER 






HISTORIC BOSTON 


165 


wood lot every year. There was a yellow lady's- 
slipper with a bee entering it, and there were 
black-eyed Susans just like those which grew 
along the roadside at home. There was even a 
stalk of goldenrod that looked as though it could 
shake off a shower of hay-fever pollen. 

Peter joined Uncle Lee and Nancy and they 
made a trip to Lexington and Concord, following 
the course of Paul Revere’s ride. They saw the 
home of Longfellow, and later the country house 
of Louisa May Alcott, so big and rambling and 
homey. Most thrilling of all was the bronze 
statue of the Minute Man who had put down 
his plow to pick up his gun. It stood just beyond 
a little bridge where the water flowed clear and 
cool. And here, Peter and Nancy realized as 
they stood looking out at the road through a row 
of trees, had been fired the shot '^heard round the 
world.’^ 

They drove on to the Wayside Inn, made 
famous by Longfellow, and in a short time 
arrived at Shrewsbury, quaint and pleasant. 

Uncle Lee had saved one of the most interesting 
experiences of all for their last day in Mas¬ 
sachusetts. It was a trip to Plymouth, where 
they viewed Plymouth Rock which marked the 
landing place of the Pilgrims. 

Uncle Lee pointed out Cole's Hill which rose 
behind the Rock. ''There," he said, "is the 



166 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

PLYMOUTH ROCK 


ground where the Pilgrims buried those who died 
during the first terrible winter that they spent 
in America.” 

“And they leveled the graves and sowed them 
with grain in the spring,” added Peter, “so that 
the Indians might not know how many of the 
colonists had died.” 

In the Registry Building the MacLaren party 
examined the original records of Plymouth 
Colony. Peter and Nancy were especially inter- 




HISTORIC BOSTON 


167 


ested in the will of Myles Standish, that brave 
captain of whom they had read so often at school. 
In Pilgrim Hall they saw some relics of Colonial 
times. 

As they climbed into the car to return to 
Boston, Nancy said, ^‘How glad I am that we 
were able to spend our last day in Massachusetts 
at the place where the Pilgrims spent their first 
day in America.” 



A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


T he Dustins met the MacLarens in Boston, as 
they had promised. Mrs. Dustin said, “It is 
the beginning of vacation time in New Hamp¬ 
shire, Maine, and Vermont. As a matter of 
fact, the seasons are beginning to matter less 
and less, for it is quite as delightful to ski as 
it is to swim. You^ll find no lovelier resorts any- 
where.^^ 

In spite of what Mrs. Dustin said, Peter and 
Nancy expected New Hampshire to be bleak and 
rocky since it was often called the “Granite 
State.’^ Instead they saw much greenery and 
many lakes, large and small. Fat sheep grazed 
on the green hillsides, and later the MacLarens 
were to see quarries of granite, mica, and feld¬ 
spar. The first memorable view was of the 
Merrimack River, swift and beautiful, flowing 
through a farm-dotted valley. 

“The Merrimack River,^^ Mr. Dustin said, as 
he turned about from the front seat where he 
was sitting with Uncle Lee, to address Peter and 
Nancy and Mrs. Dustin, “turns more spindles in 
textile manufacturing than any other river in the 
world. We’ll stop off at Manchester. The largest 
textile plant in the world is located there.” 


168 


A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


169 



A YARN MACHINE IN A TEXTILE MILL 


There were many villages in southern New 
Hampshire, and Uncle Lee said that nearly half 
the people in the state lived in or near the valley 

of the Merrimack River. 

'T think,’’ Nancy observed, ''that I like the 




170 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

A GREAT AMERICAN STATESMAN, DANIEL WEBSTER 


smoothly rounded hills, all covered with green 
trees, even better than the mountains/^ 

'^You’ll see mountains before we leave New 
Hampshire,^’ Mrs. Dustin declared. “Have you 
ever heard of the White Mountains? Remind 
me of a surprise when we get there.^^ 









A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


171 


As the car sped along the fine roads, Mr. 
Dustin told of the products raised on New Hamp¬ 
shire farms. He said that perhaps a fourth of 
the farm land in the state was used for raising 
hay. Surely the large number of dairy herds 
that Peter pointed out needed a great deal of 
hay in the wintertime. 

In some of the fields where corn was being 
cultivated, oxen were still used. Farm buildings 
were often large and well built. 

Peter was interested in a covered bridge across 
the Merrimack. But it was a fine new bridge 
that the car passed over on entering Manchester. 
Uncle Lee called it the Queen City Bridge. 

Peter and Nancy were impressed with the 
town’s activity. So many men hurrying home 
after a day’s work! Mr. Dustin said many of 
them worked at shoemaking, for in New Hamp¬ 
shire there were about sixty shoe factories. Much 
of the work was done in Manchester. The textile 
and shoe factories were close to the river, and, 
farther out, spreading toward the low hills, lay 
the parts of the city where people built their 
homes. 

The Merrimack River could be seen most of the 
way to Concord, the capital of the state. There 
the dignified Statehouse, set in spacious grounds, 
drew the attention of the children. In the rear 
was a statue of Daniel Webster, and in the fore- 



172 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


ground was a statue of Franklin Pierce, four¬ 
teenth President of the United States. Both, so 
Mr. Dustin told Peter and Nancy, were “New 
Hampshire products.” 

Near Milford were the famed granite quar¬ 
ries, where great slabs of stone were partly cut 
away. From New Hampshire quarries had come 
the marble for the handsome Library of Con¬ 
gress that the MacLarens had visited in Wash¬ 
ington. Mr. Dustin said that mica and feldspar 
were found in many parts of the state and were 
of great industrial value. 

Plymouth, New Hampshire, proved to be even 
more quaint than Concord. Here Peter and Nancy 
visited the old Public Library, the scene of 
Daniel Webster’s first plea at the bar of justice. 

On north ran the car, into the mountainous 
country of the state park. In Franconia Notch, 
beautiful woodland country full of lacy trees and 
brush, the visitors looked up at Profile Mountain. 
Wind and rain had worn away the rocks on the 
high cliffs. Projecting from an upper ledge was 
a rock with the rugged profile of a man of 
character. It was a very familiar profile, one 
that Peter and Nancy had seen often in one of 
their school readers. 

“This is the surprise!” Nancy exclaimed. 
“Why, it’s the ‘Old Man of the Mountain,’ ‘The 
Great Stone Face’!” 



A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


173 


The visitors saw much of handicraft through 
all that country, and Nancy bought a lovely tile 
made of native clay and decorated with wild 
flowers of the region. 

Driving along the fine roads in the White 
Mountain National Forest, which Uncle Lee said 
New Hampshire shared with Maine, Peter and 
Nancy exclaimed over every resort hotel and 
over every free campground. To their delight the 
Dustins took a log cabin for the night, and every¬ 
one enjoyed a camp supper and an evening before 
an open fire. Soon the woods would be filled with 
campers as they always were when the schools 
and colleges closed. 

“I think I’ll go to Dartmouth in Hanover,” 
Peter decided. “Then I can spend all my vaca¬ 
tions in New Hampshire. Mr. Dustin says the 
seniors have a fence sacred to themselves. I’d 
like to sit on it and carve my initials on canes 
and things the way they do.” 

“You have to be a freshman first,” Nancy 
observed. “And you have to go all through high 
school before you can be even that.” 

As the MacLarens crossed the line into Maine, 
Peter saw a sign that read, “The Pine Tree 
State.” “Maine’s the Tine Tree State’!” he ex¬ 
claimed. “I love pines. So does Nancy, don’t 
you, Nancy?” 

“That’s only a part of the story,” Mr. Dustin 



174 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


said. “It has often been said that the state of 
Maine was founded on three F’s—fish, fur, and 
forest. The earliest settlements were made up 
here close to Maine’s cold water where free fish¬ 
ing was allowed by the English Government in 
Colonial days. And fishing is still important.” 

“It’s important to the extent of millions of 
dollars a year,” Uncle Lee put in dryly. “In 
addition to other fish, Maine supplies an endless 
amount of herring for those of simple taste like 
myself, and the more aristocratic lobster for the 
Dustins—and Nancy.” 

“Don’t leave granite out!” Mrs. Dustin cried. 
“There are many granite quarries along the coast 
east of the Kennebec and on the islands near by.” 

“If everything important is to be included, 
why not say potatoes?” Uncle Lee inquired. “If 
we went to Houlton, we would come to the eastern 
end of the well-known Aroostook country. It’s 
the county seat of potato-land. And leaving 
Houlton you’d see, across the potato fields, a green 
forest and in the midst of it Mount Katahdin, 
the highest peak in Maine. The Mount Katahdin 
country has the largest newsprint paper mills 
in the United States.” 

The little party spent the night at a rustic 
lodge at the edge of the forest. Early the next 
morning they drove to Portland, Maine’s largest 
city, which Uncle Lee said was closer to Europe 



A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


175 



Ewing Galloway 

MAINE’S POTATO-LAND 


than any other large port of the United States. 
First of all they went to the fine harbor, where 
they saw great quantities of ocean fish being 
loaded into boats. Then they wandered along 
tree-lined streets where Henry Wadsworth Long¬ 
fellow had played when a boy. 

The most beautiful building was the City Hall, 
built of white marble quarried in Maine. With¬ 
in was one of the largest and finest organs in 
the United States. 

The White Mountains could be seen from any 




176 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


point in the city. They loomed up green and 
beautiful in the light of the afternoon sun. 

Northeast of Portland the coast was truly a 
rock-bound coast with fiords like those in Nor¬ 
way, only not quite so deep. 

The journey took the party as far as Augusta 
on the Kennebec River. Peter and Nancy were 
interested in seeing the famous Capitol. Al¬ 
though it had been rebuilt in 1910, it still had the 
original front. The material of which the digni¬ 
fied building was constructed was native granite 
from Maine. Close by stood the Governor’s man¬ 
sion, the former home of James G. Blaine, who 
had lived there during most of his public life. 
Mrs. Dustin saw to it that Nancy was shown 
the silver service that had been saved from the 
battleship Maine. 

There was much more that Peter and Nancy 
wanted to see in Maine—the lobster pots at 
Rockland, the Naval Yard at Kittery, and the 
town of Sanford where most of the' plush for 
automobiles and railroad cars was once made. 
But the Dustins had only two weeks of vacation 
and they wanted to visit Vermont. 

The car was soon heading for St. Johnsbury 
on its way to Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. 
Up inviting hills and down through lovely valleys 
it sped, often past the shores of mirror-like lakes. 

“We’re in the maple-sugar country!” Peter 



A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


177 



Ewing Galloioay 

A MOUNTAIN VILLAGE IN VERMONT 


shouted. ^‘Uncle Lee, please stop and buy some.^' 

^‘We will do better than that,^^ Mr. Dustin 
promised. ^We'll stay overnight at one of these 
farmhouses and enjoy a real Vermont breakfast. 
Then, no doubt, you can eat maple syrup and 
maple sugar to your heart’s content and, at the 
same time, become acquainted with Vermont farm 
life.” 

At last they stopped at a big white house with 
green shutters. It looked so delightful that Peter 
and Nancy could hardly wait for Uncle Lee to 
return to the car and announce, ‘Uome along. 
We’re welcome.” 

There were two children, a boy and a girl, and 






178 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

NEW ENGLAND FARM BUILDINGS 

they showed the MacLarens the comfortable 
house with its stove heat and the long sheds in 
which winter feed was stored. These sheds were 
connected with the house and barn. The boy said 
that none of the family had to go outdoors from 
“freeze-up” to “thaw-out” if they didn’t want to. 

"But we do go out,” the little girl declared. 
Then she showed Nancy the automobile with 
caterpillar treads and snow runners. 

“When it’s too deep even for the sled auto¬ 
mobile,” she explained, “we use horses. We have 
Morgan horses, you know, and we harness them 
to the sleighs.” 



A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


179 



Ewing Galloway 

MAPLE-SYRUP TIME IN VERMONT 


''Morgan horses asked Peter. "What kind 
are they?^' 

"You perhaps haven’t heard of them before,” 
said the boy. "They are an American breed of 
light horses which originated in Vermont.” 

Peter and Nancy followed the children into the 
meadow to look at the celebrated Morgan horses 
and the fine cattle. Then they went on into the 
woods to see the maple trees which had been 
tapped for their sap early that spring. 



180 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


“The sap has to be cooked down into a syrup,” 
the boy said. “It takes a long time. Mother can 
tell when it’s just right. Some is put into cans 
and bottles and sold as maple syrup. Some is 
cooled, stirred, and poured into molds or pails 
to harden into maple sugar. I hope you like 
maple.” 

They did like maple. Over a Vermont break¬ 
fast of buckwheat cakes with maple syrup and 
bacon, the MacLaren children heard of the long, 
hard winters. But they decided that they 
wouldn’t mind snow and cold if they were sent 
out to work after a breakfast such as they were 
enjoying. 

Uncle Lee said that Vermont was the most 
truly American of all states. Nine out of ten 
Vermonters were native Americans. Dairy cows 
were numerous, and modern transportation 
assured the farmer a market for his milk. Once, 
Mr. Dustin said, a whole mountain of marble was 
traded for a lame horse. There were stone, slate, 
lime, and talc, too, which were being dug for 
commercial uses. Even the tourist business was 
increasing. The Long Trail, a footpath from 
Massachusetts to the Canadian line, brought 
many hikers to the state. 

The Capitol Building at Montpelier was built 
of native granite. It had a golden dome like the 
Statehouse in Boston. 



A NEW ENGLAND VACATION 


181 



Ewing Galloway 

A VERMONT GRANITE QUARRY 

Peter and Nancy thought the name that the 
Reverend Samuel Peters gave the state was a 
very good one. They agreed that it should be 
“Vert Mont, in token that her hills shall be 
green and never die.” 

Vermonters had a right to superlatives, de¬ 
clared Uncle Lee. Bennington had the highest 
battle monument in the world. Barre was known 
as a granite center. St. Johnsbury and Rutland 
were noted for the scales they manufactured. 
Vermont had her lakes and forests! It was 
easy to see why Calvin Coolidge had been proud 
of his native state. 




A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 




T he MacLarens returned to Boston with the 
Dustins and then took a plane to Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, making an overnight stop before ^ 
setting off with a new car to visit Ohio, Michigan, 
Indiana, and Kentucky. 

Pittsburgh, the ''Steel City,’' was busy, smoky, 
tremendously vital! Peter and Nancy saw three 
navigable rivers there, the Monongahela and the 
Allegheny flowing together to form the Ohio. | 
Pittsburgh was served by fourteen railroads. ^ 
The Great Lakes were close, too—close enough ^ 
to bring iron ore from Minnesota, Wisconsin, 
and Michigan almost to the doors of the fur¬ 
naces. There was limestone close by, and also 
coal—everything with which to make steel. 

"Here are the richest coal flelds in the coun-1 
try!” Peter exclaimed as the taxi made its way | 
through the heavy traffic. "How many mines 1 
are there in this region. Uncle Lee?” | 

"Oh, around three hundred or more,” Uncle ’ 
Lee said. "Bituminous coal. Pll ask the driver 
to show us the barges on the Allegheny. You’ll ! 
see them on the Monongahela, too. They carry 
coal very cheaply. And there are plenty of indus¬ 
tries besides steel. Pittsburgh is noted also for 


182 




A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


183 



GREAT BLAST FURNACES 

the manufacture of coke, glass, aluminum wares, 
cork products, bronze and copper wares, and re¬ 
fined petroleum. I wish we had time to visit a 
few of the manufacturing plants!'^ 





184 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


That evening Peter and Nancy saw something 
they would never forget, the great furnaces 
lighting up the dark sky with an awesome, bril¬ 
liant light. 

The next morning the three adventurers were 
on their way to Ohio. Uncle Lee called it the 
'‘Buckeye State,’' but said that the early settlers 
thought of it as the "Gateway State,” for all the 
pioneers had gone through it on their way west. 

They reached Youngstown, Ohio, before dinner. 
Peter and Nancy were not surprised to find it 
a city much like Pittsburgh, with smokestacks, 
blast furnaces, coke ovens, and steel converters. 

"Right here in Youngstown,” Uncle Lee said, 
"there’s an output of commercial products which 
the pioneers couldn’t have imagined. And right 
here is produced a sixth of all the pig iron made 
in the United States and an eighth of all the 
steel.” 

Traveling on to Akron the car passed through 
country that must have been a joy to the early 
settlers. There was much rolling land covered 
with hardwood forest—oaks, maples, birches, 
elms, and all sorts of nut trees. To the north was 
Lake Erie and to the south the mighty Ohio 
River. Small wonder that those early settlers 
thought that any covered wagon going west must 
pass through the gateway that lay between. 

At Akron, Uncle Lee took Peter and Nancy out 



A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


185 



MAKING A TRUCK TIRE 

to the airport where planes and balloons divided 
the children’s interest. Uncle Lee said that 
Akron was sometimes called the “Rubber City,” 
because it was the center of the largest rubber 
and tire industry in the world. In its twenty 
large rubber factories it made almost everything 
in rubber, from rubber bands to balloons, and 
over a hundred thousand automobile tires every 
day. The city was also one of the greatest pro¬ 
ducers of lighter-than-air craft in this country. 




186 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Gallowa 

CLEVELAND, LOOKING TOWARD LAKE ERIE 


Here the famous dirigibles, the Akron and the 
Macon, were built. 

As the MacLarens motored northward to Cleve¬ 
land, they enjoyed the fine roads that ran past 
rich tobacco fields, apple and peach orchards, 
and good pastures where sleek cattle grazed. 

The approach to Cleveland, the largest city of 
Ohio, and the sixth city in the United States in 
population and industries, was through green 
country set with golf courses and parkways. The 
city was shaped like an amphitheater, and the 
MacLarens looked down on the business section 




A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


187 


from the higher levels. They saw the Terminal 
Tower, fifty-two stories high, rising above the 
other buildings. The whole Terminal area was 
alive with transportation and industrial activity. 

Driving about Cleveland, Uncle Lee told Peter 
and Nancy that the city did a great deal of ship¬ 
ping and was an important port on the Great 
Lakes. It was situated on the south shore of 
Lake Erie at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. 
Settled originally by people from New England, 
it had New England thrift and order and effi¬ 
ciency. 

Cleveland, Uncle Lee said, was known as a 
great musical and cultural center, a city of beau- 
iful homes, civic centers, parks, and boulevards. 

Another long trip later in the week ended in 
Columbus, almost in the middle of the state. 
Columbus was a delight to the tired MacLarens, 
who found it easy to relax in this deliberate, 
courteous old city. Peter and Nancy did not 
think of questioning Uncle Lee when he told them 
that it used to be customary in Columbus for 
the men to tip their hats to each other. Such 
quaint manners were in keeping with the fine 
old homes, the universities on the outskirts, and 
the absence of slums. 

The Statehouse at Columbus was of Doric 
architecture and was built of limestone from a 
quarry near by. 



188 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Uncle Lee said that Columbus was important 
for its manufacture of things from iron and 
steel. Shoes, drugs, and food products were made 
there, too. 

The MacLarens made a stopover at Dayton, 
famous for its cash registers, calculating ma¬ 
chines, automobile accessories, and, above all, 
as the home of the famous Wright brothers, pio¬ 
neers in flying. 

Then on to Cincinnati sped the car along per¬ 
fect roads. Peter was most anxious to see the 
steamboat town of early days. They drove 
through water-front streets for miles and viewed 
wholesale houses by the score. 

Back of the wholesale district there rose sev¬ 
eral skyscrapers, the most familiar to Uncle Lee 
being the Union Central Building. Farther back 
toward the hills lay the residential section. There 
were several bridges across the Ohio River be¬ 
tween Cincinnati and Kentucky. Among them 
was one of the first suspension bridges in the 
United States. 

After they had viewed a number of Cincinnati’s 
large factories. Uncle Lee commented, ‘^You 
might be interested in knowing that Cincinnati’s 
manufactures amount to half a billion dollars a 
year. Also, Cincinnati is an important educa¬ 
tional, art, and music center.” 

It was a long trip northward to Toledo, a great 



A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


189 



Ewing Galloway 

FOUNTAIN SQUARE IN CINCINNATI 

railroad center. Uncle Lee said that its harbor, 
which accommodated the largest of lake vessels, 
was one of the finest on the Great Lakes. Toledo 
had many factories, too, and was one of the 
leading markets in the country for clover seed, 
hay, and grain. 

In a few hours the MacLarens were out of 
Ohio and driving into Michigan, the “Wolverine 
State.” 

The road was so good as to be actually dis¬ 
appointing. Peter and Nancy had wished it 









190 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


would be a dirt road through wild forest. They 
had heard Uncle Lee’s friends tell of deer crash¬ 
ing through the brush in northern Michigan, 
of seeing inquisitive hunting dogs getting a nose¬ 
ful of porcupine quills, and of lynx, yellow-white 
against the dazzling snow. And they had been 
told of the caribou at Isle Royale. One might 
expect anything amazing in Michigan. Fruit 
trees were exquisite when in bloom and bowed 
down with glory when covered with fruit. Along 
the shores of Lake Michigan there were sand 
dunes that pushed forward at the rate of eight 
feet a year, covering woodlands as they moved. 
And at Sault Sainte Marie, often spoken of as 
the “Soo,” were the famous canals with their 
great locks. Peter and Nancy had heard of the 
great shiploads of coal, iron, and other freight 
which passed through these canals during the 
navigation season. 

There were so many cities that Peter and 
Nancy wished they might see: Lansing, the capi¬ 
tal, Marquette and Menominee in the iron dis¬ 
trict, Flint with its automobile industry, and 
Battle Creek important for its breakfast foods. 
But here was Detroit. 

“We should really reach Detroit by water,” 
Uncle Lee said as he drove into the city. “To¬ 
morrow we’re going out on a little excursion 
steamer to view the city from Lake St. Clair.” 



A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


191 



The next morning he pointed out the great 
industrial city from the deck of the steamer. 
Against the white clouds of the sky, Peter and 
Nancy saw tall, slim smokestacks reaching up¬ 
ward above the buildings, many of which were 
huge automobile factories. 

‘‘Detroit is known as the world's greatest auto¬ 
mobile manufacturing center," Uncle Lee said. 

Planes were zooming over this city of more 
than one and a half million inhabitants, over vast 
industrial plants, and over tall skyscrapers. Some 
of them were turned toward Windsor, Ontario, 
located across the Detroit River in Canada. 


Ewing Galloway 

THE SOO CANAL WITH ITS GREAT LOCKS 



192 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

WASHINGTON BOULEVARD IN DETROIT 

Listening to the hum of the planes, Nancy 
said, “This is where Charles Lindbergh was 
born.” 

Detroit, Peter and Nancy soon observed, was 
interested in beauty as well as commerce. Right 
in the center of the business district there was 
a small park known as Grand Circus Park. The 
maple and elm trees were tall and straight, with 
rich foliage. A business friend of Uncle Lee’s 
met the MacLarens as they strolled down Wash- 














A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


193 



GATHERING CELERY ON A MICHIGAN FARM 


ington Boulevard just before dinner. He had 
much to say of his native state of Michigan. 

He told Peter that Michigan supplied a good 
portion of the -world’s peppermint. He spoke of 
the fine celery raised around Kalamazoo and of 
sugar beets shipped in carloads. He accompanied 
the MacLarens to their hotel and told them that 
the wooden shoes on display as souvenirs in the 
lobby were made by a Dutch family that used to 
make wooden shoes for actual wear in Michigan. 
Then he told of the great forests in northern 
Michigan and of the importance of the lumbering 



194 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


industry there. He spoke of the pulpwood in¬ 
dustry, too. Then he mentioned Grand Rapids, 
the great furniture manufacturing center, and 
he said that at Manistee on Lake Michigan, the 
children would see salt being barreled and sacked 
for shipment. He told of Ann Arbor and the 
University of Michigan, one of the leading state 
universities. 

The MacLarens made ready to leave Detroit 
on a bright morning. Uncle Lee drove down to 
the busy wharves for a last good-by. He pointed 
out the ships on the Detroit River which con¬ 
nected Lake Huron and Lake Erie and told Peter 
and Nancy of the splendid canal system which 
helped Detroit to enjoy water communication 
with seven states and an almost equal area in 
Canada. 

‘T think I like the name ‘Mistress of the Lakes’ 
better than the ‘Wolverine State’ for Michigan,” 
Nancy decided. 

“Yes,” said Uncle Lee. “It is nearly sur¬ 
rounded by the Great Lakes, and it has hundreds 
of smaller lakes where people from many states 
spend their summer vacations. Some day we 
will come up here on a fishing trip.” 

“That would be fun,” said Peter. 

Driving through the southwestern counties of 
Michigan, Peter and Nancy were impressed with 
the acres upon acres of fruit trees. Uncle 



A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


195 


Lee explained that they were passing through 
the fruit belt, where great quantities of cherries, 
apples, peaches, pears, and grapes were grown. 

“Hope the name 'Hoosier State' fits Indiana," 
Peter said, as they crossed the state line. 

“The name sounds very quaint and homelike," 
Nancy remarked. “But Indiana isn't just a state 
full of nice little country towns. From what I've 
heard there are two kinds of Indiana cities—the 
noisy bustling ones of the north and the quiet, 
easy-going ones of the south." 

Uncle Lee said that Nancy was right. The 
MacLaren car soon left behind the cities of the 
industrial north—cities like Whiting with its oil¬ 
refining industry. South Bend with its large 
automobile factories, plow factories, and wagon 
works, Gary, noted for its steel mills, and Ham¬ 
mond, important for its oil refineries and the 
manufacture of steel and railroad cars. 

Uncle Lee whistled “On the Banks of the 
Wabash" as the car hummed along. He said it 
was Indiana's state song and rightly so, for the 
Wabash River with its branches watered the 
entire state. 

As the car approached Terre Haute, Uncle Lee 
said, “Look at your maps. Just south of here is 
the center of population of the United States." 

The town itself, Peter and Nancy learned, 
manufactured paper, clothing, iron, and glass. 



196 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

GARY STEEL MILLS AND LOADING CRANES 

Peter could hardly be drawn away from the bottle 
factory. He watched a mixture of sand, soda, 
and lime being fed into furnaces that melted it 
and discharged it as blobs of glowing fire. A 
machine turned the blobs into bottles. 

Near Vincennes Peter and Nancy saw only 
pleasure craft on the Wabash. But it was easy 
to close one’s eyes and to see mind pictures of 
pioneer days when the French explorers traded 
with the Indians. At that time the river was 
full of flatboats loaded with hickory nuts, veni¬ 
son, cornmeal, horses, and cattle. 




A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


197 


Vincennes was surrounded by great coal fields 
and a rich farming region. In the city itself, 
mills and factories kept the people busy. 

Uncle Lee reminded the children that Vin¬ 
cennes was once the capital of Indiana Territory, 
which included the present states of Indiana, Illi¬ 
nois, and Wisconsin, the northeastern part of 
Minnesota, and a large part of the present state 
of Michigan. 

Not far from Vincennes, and just across the 
Wabash River, they saw the Illinois monument 
erected at the place where the Lincoln family 
first entered the State. Uncle Lee said that when 
the family moved from Indiana to Illinois, Abra¬ 
ham was twenty-one years old. 

A side trip would have shown the MacLarens 
French Lick with its many guests enjoying the 
healthful mineral springs. But Uncle Lee was 
impatient to reach Indianapolis. 

Indianapolis, the capital city of Indiana, was 
a brilliant, beautiful city. While Uncle Lee con¬ 
sulted with a business acquaintance in one of 
the tall office buildings, Peter and Nancy looked 
down over the city. They knew that it was the 
center of the state and the largest city of Indiana. 

Below them were business buildings, temples, 
churches, shrines, tree-lined streets, and colorful 
parks in which flowers blazed with color. Uncle 
Lee said later that many zinnias were grown 



198 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

WHERE THE LINCOLN FAMILY ENTERED ILLINOIS 

in Indiana, and that the zinnia had been adopted 
as Indiana’s state flower. 

“Indianapolis,” Uncle Lee said, as he joined 
Peter and Nancy at the window, “is intersected 
by four national highways. You see mostly 
beauty from this viewpoint, but there’s plenty 
of business, too. Down there is a fine railroad 
station. Some 160 trains enter and depart each 
day. The belt line which connects the different 
railways carries more than two million freight 




A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


199 



Charles Phelps Cushing 
THE SOLDIERS’ AND SAILORS’ MONUMENT 


cars each year. There are many factories, too. 
They make nearly everything, from silk hose to 
bicycle tires. And of course you’ve heard of the 





200 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


automobile races at the Indianapolis Speedway!’^ 

The MacLarens went to see the Soldiers’ and 
Sailors’ Monument in the business center. The 
great shaft rose from a pedestal on which stood 
figures honoring the great Hoosier heroes. The 
figure on top of the shaft was called Miss Indiana. 
This memorial honored the Indiana soldiers and 
sailors who had given their lives in the wars 
—the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican 
War, the War between the States, and the Span¬ 
ish-American War. 

Peter and Nancy said good-by to Indianapolis 
in the John Herron Art Institute where hung 
the portrait of James Whitcomb Riley. It was 
he who had written ^The Raggedy Man,” ‘‘Little 
Orphant Annie,” and other poems which they 
knew and loved. 

Indianapolis, Uncle Lee said, as the three left 
the city behind, was the largest city in the United 
States not located on a navigable waterway. 

As the MacLaren car crossed the Ohio River 
into Kentucky, Nancy cried, “The Bluegrass 
State!” 

“And a state important for its manufacturing 
and mining, as well as its agricultural products,” 
added Uncle Lee. 

“Much of the coal-producing area in Kentucky 
is a part of the Middle Appalachian coal field, 
isn’t it. Uncle Lee?” questioned Peter. 



A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


201 


'‘Right/’ was Uncle Lee’s answer. 

Louisville was a very lively southern city, situ¬ 
ated on the Ohio River. Uncle Lee said it was the 
foremost livestock market and one of the oldest 
cities of the South. Near the river front stood 
its large tobacco warehouses and other wholesale 
and manufacturing buildings. 

There were tobacco factories and a large oil 
refinery, as well as many smaller industries. But 
education was quite as important to this biggest 
city in Kentucky as commerce. The University 
of Louisville, the MacLarens learned, was the 
oldest city-owned university in the United States. 

Before leaving Louisville, the MacLarens drove 
to Churchill Downs, the scene of the annual Ken¬ 
tucky derby and well-known horse racecourse. 

Driving into the country the MacLarens saw 
many negro cabins and tobacco fields. 

Nancy was disappointed because she could not 
see the native Kentuckians in their mountain 
homes. But she did see much of their handiwork, 
painstakingly made quilts, rugs, and bedspreads. 

Peter suggested that they take time for a trip 
to Frankfort and Lexington. Uncle Lee agreed 
that such a trip would be interesting and worth¬ 
while and decided to go the next day. 

Frankfort was picturesquely situated in the 
heart of the bluegrass region. It was easy for 
the MacLarens to see that it was a trading center 



202 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


for the surrounding country where so much hemp 
and tobacco were raised. Nancy thought that 
the two-million-dollar Capitol with its interior 
of white marble was particularly impressive, but 
Peter was more interested in the Old Capitol, 
now occupied by the State Historical Society. 

“Lexington,” Uncle Lee informed Peter and 
Nancy, as they drove into the city, “is one of 
the largest loose-leaf tobacco and bluegrass- 
seed markets in the United States. It is also 
noted for its excellent thoroughbred horses.” 

As they drove by Transylvania College, the 
oldest institution of higher education west of the 
Allegheny Mountains, Uncle Lee explained that 
because of this fine school, the University of Ken¬ 
tucky, and other educational institutions, Lexing¬ 
ton was frequently called the “Athens of the 
South.” 

Traveling southwest from Lexington, the Mac- 
Larens soon passed through Bardstown where 
Stephen Collins Foster wrote “My Old Kentucky 
Home.” Next they visited Hodgenville, the birth¬ 
place of Abraham Lincoln, and the Abraham 
Lincoln National Park which was part of the farm 
once owned by Abe’s father. They drank at the 
famous spring and climbed the hill to the marble 
shrine which enclosed the log cabin in which 
Lincoln was born. Peter and Nancy gazed long 
at the cabin with its one window and one door. 



A LONG JUMP WESTWARD 


203 



Ewing Galloway 

ECHO RIVER IN MAMMOTH CAVE 


Now they were driving through the hills where 
often they saw unpainted but neat little homes 
in the ravines or on the hillsides. Mammoth 
Cave was at hand. 

Carrying lanterns the three visitors followed 
a guide through the arched gateway and found 
themselves in an underground chamber. From 
this rock cave, they followed into other chambers 
through long passages of rock, some low, some 
high. Rivers flowed through some of the caverns, 




204 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


and blind fish swam about. One of the rivers 
was named Echo River because of the strange 
echoes one’s voice made in the cavern through 
which it flowed. There were bottomless pits, too, 
into which the guide threw lighted torches. 

Coming out of Mammoth Cave the MacLarens 
rode down a steep hill to the Green River. 

After a picnic lunch which Uncle Lee had 
brought along, the three drove on to Glasgow to 
visit the Diamond Caverns. 

The name was truly a fitting one, for the caves 
were like fairy caverns set with jewels. Each 
odd-shaped rock had been covered delicately by 
nature with what appeared to be sparkling dia¬ 
monds. No great artist, by spending a lifetime 
of trying, could have achieved a more fantastic 
or thrilling masterpiece. 

The daylight showed the bluegrass country 
again. Peter and Nancy emerged from fairy¬ 
land into a country that, in its way, was just as 
beautiful. 



NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


T he MacLaren car had crossed the Mississippi 
River and was following the highway to 
St. Louis, Missouri. 

'The founding of St. Louis,” Uncle Lee said, 
"was not by chance. Early fur-traders were 
sent up the Mississippi River from New Orleans 
by ambitious and farseeing businessmen to estab¬ 
lish a fur-trading post on the river close to the 
mouth of the Missouri River. The Missouri is a 
muddy river, and the swampy land at its mouth 
failed to tempt even those hardy pioneers. What 
do you suppose happened?” 

Peter said, "They found a better place about 
twenty miles south.” 

"On the west bank of the Mississippi,” Nancy 
added. "The present site of St. Louis.” 

"That wise choice,” Uncle Lee continued, "re¬ 
sulted in the rapid growth of St. Louis. Today it 
is the most important city on the Mississippi 
River.” 

"Geographical location certainly counts,” Peter 
observed as the MacLaren car entered the traffic 
that finally brought it to their hotel. "A city on the 
Mississippi and between the Missouri and Ohio 
Rivers would be good enough in itself. Just as 


205 


206 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Uncle Lee has so often said, freight by boat is 
beginning to pick up again/^ Peter looked about 
and added, '‘And talk about railroads!'' 

"Yes, the railroads are worth talking about," 
Uncle Lee agreed dryly. "Trunk lines between the 
East and the West pass through St. Louis. Lines 
going south—way into Mexico—pass through, 
also, and northern lines up the Mississippi Valley." 

Before dinner the MacLarens visited the Union 
Railway Station, once considered the finest in 
the country and still able, as Peter remarked, to 
hold its head up with the best of them. 

The business section of St. Louis fascinated 
Uncle Lee and Peter. They scoured the north 
end with its railroad yards and its warehouses, 
its metalworking factories and its woodworking 
shops. They drove to the south side of the city 
to see the foundries near the river, and in the 
southwest part they saw the steel plants and 
the factories that made clay products. The manu¬ 
facturing district, where shoes, stoves, tobacco 
products, and clothing were made, seemed to fol¬ 
low the railroad lines. Peter learned that St. 
Louis was also famous as a market for furs, 
horses and mules, wool, lumber, and machinery. 

Nancy enjoyed best the parks and the resi¬ 
dences that spread out into the open country. 
Nowhere had she seen more carefully tended 
yards and flower gardens. 



NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


207 



Chicago Aerial Survey 

THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS 

Directly west of the business section was beau¬ 
tiful Forest Park of 1,400 acres. Here was held 
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. The 
Jefferson Memorial Building containing the Lind¬ 
bergh trophies, the Art Museum, and a zoo were 
in this park. And Art Hill formed a natural 
amphitheater where plays, operas, and concerts 
were given. 

The MacLarens saw the old courthouse that 
was the scene of the Dred Scott trial. They visited 
the Missouri Botanical Garden and viewed one of 



208 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


the largest displays of plant life in America. 
They went down to the Mississippi River bank to 
watch the steamers that looked like three-story 
floating houses. These boats carried freight on 
the lower deck and passengers on the upper deck. 
They were moved along by the great paddle 
wheels at their sides. 

At dinner Uncle Lee told of the boyhood home 
of Mark Twain at Hannibal, Missouri. He spoke 
of Kansas City with its noted Nelson Gallery of 
Art, its stockyards, and its flour mills. He men¬ 
tioned Jefferson City with its broadcasting sta¬ 
tion in the dome of the Capitol. And he talked 
of Boonville, named after Daniel Boone, where, 
he said, the largest corncob-pipe factory in the 
world was located. 

He mentioned the Missouri farms with their 
livestock, their poultry, and their cornfields. 
And he talked of the beauty of the Ozark Hills. 

‘‘As far as I am concerned,’’ Peter declared, 
“you need not call Missouri the ‘Show Me State.’ ” 

“No one has to show me,” Nancy agreed. “I’ve 
seen enough right here in St. Louis for any state 
to be proud of.” 

Peter and Nancy were much interested in East 
St. Louis across the river. Although connected 
with St. Louis by three great steel bridges and 
sharing all the business interests. East St. Louis 
belonged to another state—Illinois. 



NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


209 



James Sawders 

BOYHOOD HOME OF MARK TWAIN 
AND TOM SAWYER’S FENCE 

“On to Iowa, the ‘Hawkeye State’!” Uncle Lee 
announced. 

“There’s where the tall corn grows!” sang 
Peter. 

Uncle Lee motored as far as Keokuk in south¬ 
eastern Iowa, where Peter and Nancy thrilled 
at the sight of the huge powerhouse and the dam 
across the river. Uncle Lee said that the electric 
generators produced electricity for many cities 












210 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

WHERE THE TALL CORN GROWS 


and towns. He turned his car toward Des Moines. 

There was no question in the minds of the 
children as to whether or not they were in an 
agricultural region. The corn belt, of course! 
From St. Louis northward they had watched 
the waving green leaves, as miles and miles of 
cornfields stretched on all sides of them. 

The leaves rustled pleasantly in the wind just 
as they did at home. It was said that at night 
if one were very still, he could hear a queer 
squeaking sound, the tall corn growing fast! 



NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


211 


Uncle Lee said that, although Iowa corn grew 
very fast, one would have to stretch his imagi¬ 
nation a little to hear it grow. 

Peter and Nancy knew a great deal about corn, 
for the MacLarens raised corn in Minnesota. 
Peter helped plant it in the spring, plowing and 
harrowing the ground, then seeding it with a 
planter, and using a cultivator several times a 
season to get rid of the weeds. By the Fourth 
of July the corn was usually knee high. By the 
middle of August it was in full ear, and by the 
last of September ready for harvesting. This 
Iowa corn was ahead of the Minnesota corn, for 
it was already “earing out.” 

“Corn is the one purely American grain,” 
Nancy remarked. “It seems strange to think that 
it wasn’t known until America was discovered.” 

“We couldn’t get along without corn very well,” 
said Peter. “Corn pone is one of the best foods 
I know. And I do like hominy for breakfast— 
with bacon. Besides, I don’t know what the pigs 
and cows and chickens would do without corn.” 

“I guess that there would be no more silos, 
either.” Uncle Lee pointed to some silos, most of 
which were cylindrical towers of concrete. “Green 
corn, chopped up and kept in a silo, is the very 
best food for cows.” 

“How much corn do you suppose Iowa produces 
in a year. Uncle Lee?” Peter asked. 





212 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


^^Several million bushels,” Uncle Lee replied. 

Des Moines, which Uncle Lee said was the capi¬ 
tal and largest city of Iowa, had once been known 
as Fort Des Moines. Peter and Nancy saw it as 
a large city with clean-looking buildings and 
beautiful parks. Many insurance companies had 
their offices in the city. 

There were a number of magazine publishing 
companies in Des Moines. Several well-known 
farm journals were published there. Manufac¬ 
turing was also important, the chief products 
being clothing, flour, meat products, foundry 
products, brick, and tile. 

Nancy had not realized that the city was sur¬ 
rounded by coal mines. Uncle Lee informed 
her that as much as 2,500,000 tons had been pro¬ 
duced in a year. 

Driving through Iowa the MacLarens saw the 
most prosperous-looking farms in all their jour- 
neyings. Miles of rich land with many wind¬ 
breaks of poplar trees, and comfortable houses 
and great barns and silos! The livestock and 
poultry were fat and healthy. 

^This is some of the best farm land in the coun¬ 
try,” Uncle Lee said. 

'Tf we were going to fly,” Uncle Lee continued, 
'Ve’d go to Iowa City. Once it was the capital 
of the state, and it is now the seat of the 
State University. One of the flne flying flelds of 



NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


213 


the transcontinental air mail is located there.” 

“I’d rather ride through Iowa cornfields than 
fly above them,” Nancy decided. 

“Fort Madison in the southeastern part of 
the state would have been in our schedule, too,” 
Uncle Lee continued, “if we hadn’t been in a 
bit of a hurry. A well-known fountain pen fac¬ 
tory and important railroad shops are located 
there—also the State Penitentiary. But what 
I’d like you to see is the new bridge, the heaviest 
and longest swing span ever built. It’s a double- 
decker, to accommodate vehicle and railroad 
traffic.” 

“We should have seen Rock Island, Illinois, 
near the mouth of Rock River,” Peter lamented, 
“if we’d followed the Mississippi instead of going 
to Des Moines. It’s just opposite Davenport.” 

“Why do you want to see it particularly, 
Peter?” Nancy inquired. 

“There’s a government arsenal on the Island 
of Rock Island,” Peter answered. “The workers 
make rifles and swords and bayonets.” 

“Yes, and armored cars and tanks and trac¬ 
tors,” Uncle Lee added. “However, Des Moines 
is a typical Iowa city, and I hardly think you’ll 
forget the cornfields.” 

In northern Iowa Uncle Lee took Peter and 
Nancy to visit the “Little Brown Church in the 
Vale” at Nashua. At Spillville they saw the 



214 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


house where Anton Dvorak lived while compos¬ 
ing his famous ^^New World Symphony/^ The 
MacLarens^ last stop in Iowa was made near 
McGregor to see the interesting picture rocks. 

Peter and Nancy were in good spirits as the 
car purred on over the roads toward Madison, 
Wisconsin. They knew a good deal about the 
''Badger State,for they had often driven up to 
the Rhinelander country of lakes and fishing- 
resorts. They were familiar with Eagle River, 
too, where they had camped in the midst of 
virgin forest and from the security of their log 
cabin, perched on a high slope above a clear lake, 
watched shy beavers, gentle deer, and young 
bears. 

Often they had driven into Racine or Janes¬ 
ville with their father to buy farm implements 
manufactured in these very towns. And on long 
drives through Wisconsin they had seen quite as 
many lakes as in Minnesota, the state of ten 
thousand lakes. These lakes, set in the forests of 
jack pine, fir, and balsam, or shimmering near 
the wood lot of some farmer who had already 
cut the trees to make fields, were usually clear, 
blue lakes, full of fish. 

Many farms had orchards and in the spring¬ 
time the whole countryside was fragrant with 
cherry, apple, and plum blossoms. Almost every 
farm had its own dairy herd, too, sometimes a 



NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


215 



Ewing Galloway 

HOLSTEIN CATTLE ON A WISCONSIN FARM 

very large herd—Holsteins, Guernseys, or Jer¬ 
seys. These Wisconsin farmers often sent their 
cream to creameries where it was made into 
butter. Or they sent the milk to cheese fac¬ 
tories where it was made into cheese, Wisconsin 
being the leading cheese-making state in the 
United States. There were fur farms, too, where 
silver foxes and minks were raised. Peter him¬ 
self had once owned a silver fox puppy. 

Once before the children had visited Madison, 
but, as Nancy said, they were too young at the 
time to remember much about it. They saw it 
now, a beautiful city between two lakes. Lake 



216 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



National Cheese Institute 

MAKING CHEKSE IN A WISCONSIN FACTORY 

Mendota and Lake Monona, with a beautiful 
Capitol and avenues lined with tall trees to grace 
the many fine residences. It was dusk as the 
MacLarens drove into the city, and the dome of 
the Capitol was illuminated. It shone in Lake 
Monona as in a mirror. The clean buildings and 













NORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


217 


the beautiful lawns and gardens gave Peter and 
Nancy the impression that this was not primarily 
a commercial city. It was instead an educational 
and political center. 

“Madison,” Uncle Lee observed, “is in the cen¬ 
ter of one of the finest agricultural districts in 
the United States. But it does some manufac¬ 
turing—makes many things, from horse collars 
to hospital supplies. There’s one thing unusual 
about it. Most capitals are established after a 
certain city has had a little prosperity or shows 
signs of being in the proper location. Madison 
was established when there were only wigwams 
here.” 

“Believe it or not, I suppose!” Nancy chal¬ 
lenged. 

“It’s a fact,” Uncle Lee insisted. “Because two 
sections of the state could not agree as to loca¬ 
tion, it was decided to build the Capitol between 
the two in the wilderness. That is why the city 
is so beautifully planned. It didn’t just grow up.” 

The morning after their arrival was warm 
and bright. Uncle Lee drove Peter and Nancy 
out to see the State University. Here they heard 
much talk of scientific agriculture. 

“Pioneer Wisconsin wanted to bring in the 
better class of settlers,” Uncle Lee explained. “The 
Federal Government let it be known in Europe 
that any immigrant wanting to become a citizen 



218 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 


THE SCANDINAVIANS BROUGHT IN SKIING 

could vote in a year. After that he could hold 
office. The result was that many Germans came 
that first year. To the French, the Swedes, and 
the Belgians—and the Indians—were added the 
Germans.” 



SORTH CENTRAL COUNTRY 


219 


“And Milwaukee was begun!” Peter added. 

“Not exactly,” Uncle Lee grinned. “But Ger¬ 
man thrift and ability certainly helped industries 
already established to build further. Many a 
home shop became a factory.” 

Peter said, “The Scandinavians brought in ski¬ 
ing. That’s important.” 

“It is,” Uncle Lee agreed. “Foreign ideas and 
customs help to make our lives more interesting.” 

The MacLarens found Milwaukee, on Lake 
Michigan, to be a busy, bustling city. One inter¬ 
esting thing which the MacLarens found here 
was the large inner harbor made by the joining 
of three rivers—Milwaukee, Kinnickinnic, and 
Menominee. This made it possible to load and 
unload ships in the heart of the city and to bring 
in coal and raw materials for the factories at low 
cost. Uncle Lee said that over a hundred different 
lines of goods were manufactured in Milwaukee. 

But the city was mindful of beauty as well as 
business. Mitchell Park, with its sunken gar¬ 
dens, was a riot of summer flowers. There were 
other parks, too, and large, attractive homes 
along the lake shore drive. There was a city 
auditorium that would take care of great con¬ 
ventions. But most of all, Peter and Nancy en 
joyed the zoo in Washington Park with its large 
herd of deer, its monkeys, and its many other 
wild animals. 



THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


T he wind was blowing and somehow Peter 
and Nancy liked it, for it reminded them of 
the prairies over which they had run so many 
times. And this was the “Prairie State” of Illi¬ 
nois. Uncle Lee had spoken of Illinois as the 
heart of the continent. Now, as they came into 
Chicago, they realized how right he was. Here 
were cars from the South, from the East, from 
the West, and from the North. All roads seemed 
to lead to Chicago. 

“Illinois has unusually fine roads,” Uncle Lee 
said. “Peter will be particularly interested in 
this. Southwest of Springfield is a town called 
Bates. Near here engineers once carried on an 
experiment by building a patchwork road. Dif¬ 
ferent materials were used in each of the sixty- 
four sections. For two years vehicles traveled 
this road to determine which materials would 
wear the best. The knowledge gained from this 
experiment enabled Illinois to build substantial 
roads that have worn well.” 

“We came along very smoothly,” Nancy re¬ 
marked. “I don’t even feel tired.” 

But Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago 
was holding the children’s attention. It was one 


220 


THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


221 



Kaufmann <£• Fdhry 

MICHIGAN AVENUE IN CHICAGO 


of the handsomest boulevards they had ever seen. 
For some distance only one side was flanked by 
buildings. On the other side was Grant Park, 
and beyond that were the blue waters of Lake 
Michigan. Uncle Lee stopped in front of one of 
the imposing hotels. This was to be the Mac- 
Larens’ headquarters during their stay in Chicago. 

After lunch the MacLarens went to see the 
reconstructed Fort Dearborn. Peter and Nancy 
knew that the original fort had been destroyed 
by Indians at the time of the Fort Dearborn 







222 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Massacre in 1812, and were especially interested 
in seeing the reproduction of a structure so im¬ 
portant to Chicago’s early history. 

Driving northward on the Outer Drive, Uncle 
Lee said that there, on the lake front, was the site 
of the Century of Progress Exposition which was 
held in 1933 and 1934. 

Soon Soldier Field came into view. It was a 
great stadium at which throngs of people often 
gathered to witness such things as sports events, 
pageants, and festivals. And then Uncle Lee 
pointed out Field Museum of Natural History 
and Shedd Aquarium, located so near each other 
that Peter declared they could visit them during 
one afternoon. 

“And we could visit Adler Planetarium that 
same afternoon,” added Nancy, after Uncle Lee 
had told her the name of the domed structure 
located on the point of the island just east of 
Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. 

“Just a minute!” interrupted Uncle Lee. “After 
you have had a glimpse of the large number of 
displays in these buildings you’ll change your 
mind about visiting them all in one afternoon. 
Before we leave Chicago, though, you must 
spend some time at each of these places.” 

Later, they passed Buckingham Memorial 
Fountain which was “playing” on that particular 
summer afternoon. 



THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


225 



Kaufmann <& Fabry 

BUCKINGHAM MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN 

“And look al all the yachts!” shouted Peter, 

“The fine yacht harbors are important to Chi¬ 
cago,” said Uncle Lee. “Many of the city’s 
visitors and citizens are enthusiastic about the 
splendid boating on Lake Michigan.” 

As they appr(j^ched the bridge across the Chi¬ 
cago River, Undle Lee said, “You may be inter¬ 
ested in knowing that the Chicago River divides 
the city into three distinct sections—the North 
Side, the South Side, and the West Side. Also, 
here is a surprising thing—where once the river 
flowed into the lake, its current has been re¬ 
versed, and now it flows from the lake.” 




224 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Kaufmann rf Fabry 

ALONG THE CHICAGO RIVER 

“Over there is the Wrigley Building,” cried 
Peter, recognizing this -white structure as one 
he had seen often on post cards and in books 














THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


225 


and magazines. ''I knew it would be like that!'' 

^^See how it gleams in the sunlight," said 
Nancy. Then she asked, 'Tsn't this building 
flooded with lights in the evening?" 

Uncle Lee nodded, then called attention to 
Navy Pier which extended three thousand feet 
out into Lake Michigan. ‘This pier is mighty 
important to Chicago," he said. “It serves a 
large number of freight and passenger boats, 
and is used as a recreation center by many people." 

“Chicago is a leading inland port, isn't it?" 
questioned Peter. 

“You're right," Uncle Lee replied. “The Chi¬ 
cago harbor area contains over seven hundred 
acres. Many steamship lines serve the port dis¬ 
trict of Chicago, affording excellent passenger 
and freight service. Quantities of building ma¬ 
terials, oil, ore, coal, food products, chemicals, 
and wood and paper products are transported on 
these ships. By the way, much of Chicago's water 
traffic is taken care of by the new Calumet port 
and other ports south of the city." 

Continuing north, the MacLarens saw the Fur¬ 
niture Mart, a huge structure in which Uncle 
Lee said furniture of every kind and description 
was displayed. 

The MacLarens soon saw the fine buildings 
on the Chicago campus of Northwestern Uni¬ 
versity. Then they drove on into the section of 



226 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Kaufmann d Fabry 

TULIPS AND CONSERVATORY IN LINCOLN PARK 

Chicago which was known as the Gold Coast, 
because of its many fine hotels, apartment build¬ 
ings, and residences. 

Uncle Lee stopped the car at Lincoln Park so 
that Peter and Nancy might visit the Academy 
of Sciences, the Chicago Historical Society, the 
magnificent conservatory, and the zoo. 

“We must hurry on,” said Uncle Lee, “if we 
intend to get a general view of the city before 
the afternoon is gone.” 

Peter and Nancy climbed into the car again, 






THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


227 


wishing that they might spend more time in this 
lovely park beside the rippling waters of Lake 
Michigan, but desiring even more to see some of 
the other interesting sights of Chicago. 

“If we were to drive farther north we could 
see some of the fine residences and other beau¬ 
tiful buildings of the North Shore,” said Uncle 
Lee. “Also, we might visit the Evanston campus 
of Northwestern University. It’s such an invit¬ 
ing place—right on the shore of the lake. But 
we must turn our car back toward the Loop, 
Chicago’s downtown section where the stores, 
theaters, restaurants, and other business build¬ 
ings are located.” 

On their way back as they passed the Palm¬ 
olive Building, Peter called, “There’s a beacon 
light at the very top. I’ve heard that at night 
its beam can be seen for almost a hundred miles.” 

Uncle Lee called attention to the Merchandise 
Mart. “This building, which is devoted to the 
wholesale business, is one of the world’s largest,” 
he said. “It contains ninety-three acres of floor 
space.” 

“Why that’s as large as many of the farms in 
Minnesota,” said Nancy, hardly able to believe 
that there could be so much space in a single 
building. 

“Over 25,000 people work there each day,” 
added Uncle Lee. 



228 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


“And that’s more people than there are in many 
towns,” said Peter. 

Upon reaching the Loop, Peter and Nancy 
were a little surprised at seeing a skyscraper 
topped by a great spire. 

“It is a little unusual to see a church in such 
a busy commercial section of a city,” said Uncle 
Lee. “It shows that the people of Chicago are 
interested in things other than business.” 

“A great city like this must have many inter¬ 
ests,” said Nancy. 

“Yes, indeed,” replied Uncle Lee. “Chicago has 
208 parks, a number of athletic fields, and forest 
preserves covering 33,000 acres for the people 
to enjoy. There are art centers, too. Did 
you know that the Art Institute has the largest 
school of art in the country? And Chicago is a 
music-loving city as well. Each summer, free 
concerts are given in many of the parks. At 
Grant Park an open-air concert is given every 
evening during the summer. There are thousands 
of people who enjoy these evenings of music.” 

When they reached the financial district of 
La Salle Street Uncle Lee pointed out the Board 
of Trade Building. “It’s the tallest building in 
Chicago—over 40 stories and 612 feet high,” he 
said. 

“A real skyscraper!” commented Peter. 

Uncle Lee continued, “But not many tall build- 



THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


229 



BUSY STATE STREET IN CHICAGO 


ings are being built in Chicago now. The business 
district seems to be growing outward rather than 
upward. You will observe that this is true as 
you see more of the city.” 

“It’s lucky that there’s room enough for Chi- 






230 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Kaufmann <6 Fabry 

LION STATUES IN FRONT OF ART INSTITUTE 


cago to grow outward/^ said Peter. ‘‘New 
York^s business district almost has to grow up- 








THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


231 


ward, for there isn’t much room for it to extend 
in any other direction.” 

“What a lot we’ve learned this afternoon!” 
said Nancy, as Uncle Lee brought the car to 
a stop in front of their hotel. 

“And you’ll soon be learning more,” said Uncle 
Lee with a twinkle in his eye. 

Nancy nudged Peter, for she knew that Uncle 
Lee was about to begin airing his knowledge 
of facts about Chicago, and she was right. 

“Chicago is the second-largest city in the 
United States,” he said. “It has a population 
of around four million people. Chicago is the 
world’s largest railroad center. The Municipal 
Airport is one of the busiest and most important 
air terminals in the world. We talked of the 
importance of water transportation this after¬ 
noon, and—” 

“The transportation I’m most interested in 
right now is transportation to the dining room,” 
interrupted Peter jokingly. “Do you know the 
quickest way?” 

“Indeed I do,” chuckled Uncle Lee, as the 
three MacLarens climbed out of the car and 
made their way to the hotel dining room. 

Peter and Nancy retired early that evening, 
for, judging from the statistics Uncle Lee was 
so willing to give them, they knew that there 
would be many things to do on the following day. 



232 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Next morning, after the MacLarens had fin¬ 
ished breakfast, Uncle Lee pulled out his map 
and laid it on the table, saying, ''Since we haven’t 
time to take a real trip through Illinois, we’ll 
take an imaginary one. 

"We start our Illinois trip at Cairo,” Uncle 
Lee began. "Cairo is at the southernmost tip of 
Illinois. Once it was the headquarters of Gen¬ 
eral Ulysses S. Grant. It was quite a metropolis 
at one time and hoped to remain one. The city 
is built on a strip of land between the Missis¬ 
sippi and the Ohio Rivers. Great levees have been 
built to protect Cairo from fioods. It is an impor¬ 
tant shipping center even now. There are gov¬ 
ernment barges, strings of them, handled by 
powerful tugs. They bring up produce from the 
South. Many of these barges carry foreign prod¬ 
ucts from boats that dock at New Orleans. These 
include such goods as sugar, coffee, sisal, and 
burlap. They carry back grain and manufac¬ 
tured goods from the Middle West. 

"There are fine forests of hardwood which we 
see as we go north, short-leaf pine, and fern- 
covered rocks. These beauty spots are preserved 
by the state. 

"North of Anna we see crucible clay being 
mined,” Uncle Lee continued. "Later we arrive 
at Benton, in the center of the Illinois coal fields. 
One of the mines in this neighborhood once pro- 



THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


233 


duced about fifteen thousand tons of coal a day. 
It’s an electrically equipped mine and is quite 
modern—even has shower baths.” 

Nancy’s eyes sparkled as though she were 
actually seeing the places which Uncle Lee was 
describing to them. 

‘‘Now we are driving through cornfields, . 
wheat fields, and oat fields,” Uncle Lee con¬ 
tinued. “We go north through Centralia and are 
in oil country. We pass through a game haven, 
but we see no game. North of Centralia we visit 
Vandalia with its old State Capitol Building. 

“We arrive in Decatur. Lincoln’s first Illinois 
home was about ten miles from here,” Uncle Lee 
continued. “There are huge corn-milling plants 
here. 

“At New Salem we find that many buildings 
associated with Lincoln have been restored.” 

“And next we visit Springfield, the capital of 
Illinois,” interrupted Peter, following the marks 
Uncle Lee had made on the map. 

“At Springfield we see Lincoln’s home, the 
Lincoln Tomb, and numerous other spots which 
are associated with that famous man. We see 
the Capitol and the Centennial Memorial Build¬ 
ing, too,” explained Uncle Lee. 

“And we drive on to Bloomington, a town sur¬ 
rounded by farms. Here begins the dairy coun¬ 
try that extends into Wisconsin. 



234 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

LINCOLN’S HOME AT SPRINGFIELD 

‘Teoria, the second-largest city in the state, 
is important as a shipping and manufacturing 
center. Washing machines, farm implements, 
tractors, stock feed, and corn products are manu¬ 
factured there. Peoria is a beautiful city on the 
bluffs overlooking the Illinois River. 

‘‘Near Ottawa we visit a state park. Here 
we see Starved Rock on which a band of Illini 
Indians, besieged by the Pottawattomies, died of 
starvation.’’ 

“How terrible it must have been!” cried Nancy. 











THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


235 


Uncle Lee continued, “And now we drive into 
Dixon, known for its corsets, shoes, and condensed 
milk.” 

“Quite a mixture,” Peter remarked. 

“There are just a few more towns Pd like to 
tell you about before I turn you over to Chicago,” 
said Uncle Lee. “Galena was the home of Gen¬ 
eral Ulysses S. Grant. Alton has its oil refin¬ 
eries, petroleum products, and steel and pig lead. 
Elgin is famous for its watches, and—” 

“And Chicago’s the giant of them all!” Peter 
proclaimed. 

Next morning Peter and Nancy were sitting 
in the lobby of their hotel while Uncle Lee made 
a telephone call. They noticed opposite them 
a young man with a newspaper shutting off the 
view between. Their eyes brightened, but they 
could not be sure of their surmise. But just as 
Uncle Lee strode across the lobby, the newspaper 
dropped. It was Jimmy Dustin! Peter and 
Nancy pounced upon him. Strangers turned to 
look, then grinned broadly. 

“I’ve come to fly you to Yellowstone,” Jimmy 
said as they all rode up to their suite in the 
great hotel. “But first I’m going to show you 
Chicago.” 

“We’ve seen Chicago,” Peter cried. “At least 
we took a ride around the Leif Ericson or the 
Outer Drive, as it is commonly called. Then 



236 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Kaufmann <& Fairy 

A YACHT HARBOR ALONG THE OUTER DRIVE 

Uncle Lee explained how all roads in Illinois lead 
to Chicago/’ 

^^But I’m sure there is much more to see,” said 
Nancy. 

'There is,” Uncle Lee cut in as they got out 
of the elevator. "But remember that about a 
hundred years ago Chicago was a frontier fort 
set in a swamp. Now—well, now Jimmy will 
show you the miracle of its growth.” 

Jimmy declared that no one should leave Chi¬ 
cago without having an opportunity to view the 
skyline from the waters of Lake Michigan, so he 



THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


237 


arranged for a short cruise. Peter and Nancy 
were glad that it was an evening cruise, for the 
millions of gleaming lights helped to make the 
Chicago skyline a sight long to be remembered. 

Jimmy seemed to know all the places that 
Peter and Nancy were interested in seeing. 
There was a trip to the Chicago Zoological Park, 
commonly known as Brookfield Zoo because of its 
location in Brookfield, a suburb of Chicago. One 
afternoon they went to visit the Museum of Sci¬ 
ence and Industry, where there were models of 
almost every type of mechanical device in modern 
use. There was even a coal mine. Nancy insisted 
that a trip into a real mine could not have been 
more interesting. That same afternoon they 
visited the campus of the University of Chicago. 
And near by, on the Midway, they saw Lorado 
Taft's famous piece of sculpture, the Fountain 
of Time, which showed a number of symbolic 
figures passing in review before Father Time. 

Peter and Nancy could scarcely realize the 
extent of the meat-packing business in Chicago 
until they saw with their own eyes the great 
amount handled in the Union Stockyards and the 
Livestock Exchange. They saw workers employed 
in many ways besides cutting meat and canning 
it, ways they had never dreamed of. They saw 
real cowboys on ponies, women who tied endless 
numbers of sausages, workers who trimmed tails 



238 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Kaufmann & Fabry 

THE UNION STOCKYARDS 


for hair mattresses and ears for “camel-hair 
brushes,” and sausage makers, soapmakers, can- 
ners, labelers, and—scientists! 

“You’d be surprised to know,” Jimmy said, 
“that much of the income from the meat industry 
is from by-products. Ham and sausage and 
pickled pigs’ feet are all in the order. So are lard 
and oleomargarine. You expect these products. 
But how about brushes, chewing gum, candy, pep¬ 
sin, soap, glue, buttons, knitting needles, cosmetics, 
fertilizer, many substances important to medicine. 



THE WINDY CITY AND PRAIRIE STATE 


239 


such as pancreatin, adrenalin, insulin, and—’’ 
^^Stop! Stop!’’ Nancy cried. ^‘We can never 
remember such a long list of by-products. Why 
I’m beginning to think they’re every bit as im¬ 
portant as the meat products!” 

Since Jimmy was flying the MacLarens west. 
Uncle Lee arranged to have a friend drive his 
car to Seattle, Washington, so that they might 
later see part of the Pacific coast by automobile. 

As the MacLarens and Jimmy left Chicago, 
Peter remarked, ‘ Jt seems queer to be leaving the 
greatest railroad center in the world by airplane. 
I understand that all roads lead to Chicago and 
everybody gets off the trains there.” 



WESTWARD HO FROM CHICAGO 


T he long flight was nearing its end. Nancy’s 
most vivid remembrance was of the fantastic 
rock formations of the rough wastelands or Bad 
Lands as they are called. Peter’s was of a herd 
of wild horses in Wyoming, scattering at the 
noise of the plane, their long tails flying like 
banners in the wind. 

From the plane the MacLarens saw Yellow¬ 
stone National Park as they would never have 
seen it from the ground. They had known before 
they arrived that Yellowstone was the first and 
the largest of all our national parks, and boasted 
more and greater geysers than all the rest of the 
world. Iceland was not even a close second, and 
New Zealand was a poor third. 

^This region is of volcanic origin,” Uncle Lee 
informed Peter and Nancy as they looked down 
upon the mountains, the great plateaus with 
geysers springing from the earth, and the hot 
springs looking often as calm as a cool-water 
spring at home. 

want to show you the Specimen Ridge neigh¬ 
borhood,” Jimmy decided, a short time after 
pointing out a petrified forest. ^Tt’s sort of a 
layer-cake arrangement. I’ll fly as low as I dare.” 


240 


WESTWARD HO FROM CHICAGO 


241 


A great cliff showed alternate layers of what 
Uncle Lee said was submerged forest and lava. 
He explained it by saying that there were evi¬ 
dently many eruptions of the volcanoes in the 
past, and that enough time elapsed between erup¬ 
tions for a forest to grow. 

“Each forest was covered over by a fresh flow 
of lava,” Jimmy added. 

The petrified forest looked sad and forlorn, 
and Nancy said, “I’d like to see some geysers. 
Just what are geysers. Uncle Lee?” 

“They’re—ah—water volcanoes, I might say,” 
Uncle Lee replied. “Of course you know the 
inside of the earth is hot. In some places the 
inside heat is closer to the surface than in others. 
Water from springs down under the earth, or 
surface water trickling down through cracks 
in the rocks, collects in the bottom of a crater. 
This water finally becomes so hot that it gives 
off steam. The steam expands and forces up the 
cooler water above. Then more steam forms 
and the surface begins to bubble, and finally 
there’s a sudden spurt—a geyser!” 

“How often do they erupt?” Peter inquired. 

“It just depends,” Uncle Lee answered. “Some 
of the shallow ones erupt every few minutes. 
Others may erupt only once in several weeks.” 

As Jimmy flew above the wonders of Yellow¬ 
stone, he explained that he simply could not 



242 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 


A GEYSER IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 

show the MacLarens everything in one flight, 
for the area of the park was over 3,400 square 
miles. Over nine-tenths of the park was in 



WESTWARD HO FROM CHICAGO 


243 


Wyoming and the rest of it was in Montana and 
Idaho. 

He said there were beautifully colored hot 
springs, mud volcanoes that were like pots of 
boiling paint, and colorful rock formations that 
looked as though they might have come out of 
some fairy tale. 

Jimmy landed the plane at the West Yellow¬ 
stone airport, for he knew that there was a great 
deal of Yellowstone National Park which could 
not be seen from the air. 

At Mammoth Springs was a most unusual 
scene, for the hot water had brought up to the 
surface white mineral deposits. These deposits 
had gradually built basin-like terraces of daz¬ 
zling beauty, up and up and up. Often they 
covered tall trees. Over the edges of the carved 
basins poured the hot water in continuous cas¬ 
cades. The sides and edges of the basins had 
taken on the loveliest of colorings, apple-blossom 
pink, brilliant red, and bluish gray. This was due 
to the algae or small plants that grew there. 
Uncle Lee explained. 

Peter and Nancy climbed down among the 
hot-spring terraces, a very strange experience, 
indeed. 

As the sunlight shifted and changed, the pools 
took on various colors. There were pools as 
green as grass, and there were some a delicate 



244 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


rose, and still others a pale silver. Some seemed 
to be incrusted with jewels that sparkled, and 
once Nancy called Peter to see some submerged 
flowers and grass that looked as though they had 
been frosted with silver. Peter called them 
silver-plated flowers. 

With Jimmy, Peter and Nancy visited Old 
Faithful, which Jimmy said was a favorite with 
tourists because it always gave such a dependable 
performance and one that was wonderful to see. 
Uncle Lee finally joined the party because he said 
it seemed to him that his charges had forgotten 
“time and tide.” But once beside the others he 
too yielded to the fascination of waiting for the 
steam to form and for Peter to yell, “There she 
goes!” Then the steam below would lift the 
water high into clouds formed by its own vapors. 

A long trip on horseback revealed the wonders 
of the Yellowstone forests. The MacLarens fol¬ 
lowed paths that Jimmy knew, paths not on the 
regular routes of tourists. Peter and Nancy 
caught glimpses of deer, bears, elk, and antelope 
many times during the trek. On one long, hard 
climb they saw a mountain goat, and a moose 
swimming a river. A herd of buffalo appeared in 
a meadow. Once the travelers stood very still 
and only the jingle of the bridles could be heard, 
as a grizzly crossed their path to nibble some 
wild blackberries. Wild geese honked over a 



WESTWARD HO FROM CHICAGO 


245 



Ewing Galloway 

A BUFFALO HERD 

pond, and a white pelican stepped daintily on a 
lush green bank. They saw trout in a crystal- 
clear stream, and a pair of rare trumpeter swans. 

The bears were not to be tampered with, Jimmy 
warned. The grizzlies were shy but the cin¬ 
namon bears were different. There were some 
that always made it a point to visit the lodges 
at mealtime. They were friendly, playful fellows. 

‘‘Let’s see the Yellowstone River, its falls, and 
its canyon from the air,” Jimmy suggested. 
“Then we’ll take a little jaunt down into Idaho, 



246 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

YELLOWSTONE FALLS 

and after that, I’ll fly you to Great Falls, Mon¬ 
tana. Uncle Lee has a business appointment 
there, I believe, before he goes on to Seattle, 
Washington.” 

The Dustin plane sailed over Inspiration Point 
and circled around it so that Peter and Nancy 
might see the foaming river. It tumbled over a 
waterfall which Uncle Lee said was nearly twice 
the height of Niagara, and then plunged down 
into a deep canyon and was lost in pine-clad hills. 



WESTWARD HO FROM CHICAGO 


247 


Between the falls and Inspiration Point the 
MacLarens gazed down upon a magnificent scene. 
From the pine-topped levels of the canyon, the 
walls dropped down to the gorge about a thou¬ 
sand feet. In these vividly colored canyon walls 
were layers of rock streaked in every shade from 
deep orange, bright red, and midnight black to 
the faintest shades of lemon, pink, and glistening 
white. They were sometimes smooth, but more 
often hollowed or jagged. One whole section 
looked like a picture of Gothic spires. In places 
there were soft masses of grass and flowers, and 
below ran the green river, breaking into white 
foam as it plunged along. The sky was a dazzling 
blue. 

Yellowstone Park lay partly within Idaho, as 
Uncle Lee had pointed out on his map, and the 
MacLarens were not surprised as they flew over 
the Snake River District of the ^‘Gem State” to 
see natural falls and the same rugged beauty as 
they had seen in some parts of Wyoming. Idaho 
Falls was lovely. American Falls, quite as beau¬ 
tiful, had been dammed to make the largest 
storage reservoir in America. Then came Twin 
Falls and Shoshone Falls which Uncle Lee said 
were forty-three feet higher than Niagara. The 
country appeared to be sparsely settled, but once 
in a while the flyers caught sight of a ranch house 
or great flocks of grazing sheep. Jimmy said 



248 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 


THE POWER DAM AT AMERICAN FALLS 

the number of sheep seen from the air gave no 
sign of the number that were probably grazing 
in hollows and on shaded hillsides. 

''Once/' said Uncle Lee, ‘'this entire area was 
desolate, all sagebrush with but a few water holes 
that dried up in the summer. Now, thanks to 
the storage reservoir which supplies it with 
water, it is Idaho^s chief agricultural region.’^ 

Soon Jimmy was flying them over the wheat 
belt, and the MacLarens saw stock farms and 
concrete grain elevators like those back home. 
Once Jimmy crossed the Columbia River High¬ 
way which he said would lead into Portland if 
one followed it. 

The flyers passed over Boise, the capital of 
Idaho, a fine modern city of great promise. 

“Great changes in the earth’s surface are 




WESTWARD HO FROM CHICAGO 


249 


occurring here/' Uncle Lee observed, as Jimmy 
flew them over a farm about which they had read 
in the papers. 'Twenty acres have sunk three 
hundred feet, as you can see. Great openings 
have formed down there, new ones! That's hard 
luck for the owner of the farm." 

The plane zoomed on, flying over lofty moun¬ 
tains, tumbling waterfalls, and beautiful valleys. 

Soon Jimmy was circling over Butte, Montana, 
where copper was being brought up from almost 
a mile underground. There, said Jimmy, it was 
blasted loose, packed in small cars, and raised 
to the surface. Then it was shipped by electri¬ 
cally-driven trains to Anaconda, a little more 
than twenty-five miles away, where the smelters 
were located. 

"At Great Falls," Uncle Lee explained, "the 
copper is refined by an electrolytic plant." 

But before setting the MacLarens down at 
Great Falls, Jimmy flew above National Bison 
Range and Helena, the capital city with its won¬ 
derful cathedral and its handsome Main Street, 
once known as "Last Chance Gulch." 

There were many large ranches in the country 
over which they flew. Peter and Nancy were not 
surprised, for they knew that cattle raising was 
important in Montana. 

Jimmy said good-by to the MacLarens at Great 
Falls, promising to meet them later. 



250 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

CATTLE ON A MONTANA RANCH 

Great Falls, a lively western city, owed its 
prosperity. Uncle Lee said, to cheap electricity 
developed from the falls in the Missouri River. 
Peter and Nancy enjoyed their few hours there. 
It seemed wonderful that Great Falls, located 
on the Great Plains of the West, should have the 
advantage of waterfalls for power. 

But Montana, which was a part of the western 
wonderland of America, had many other mar¬ 
velous sights for the MacLarens, so they soon 
traveled on. 





FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


P ETER and Nancy found Glacier National 
Park entirely different from Yellowstone 
Park. Glacier reminded them of the Alps except 
that there were no foothills. The mountains rose 
straight from the valley floor. Instead of walk¬ 
ing and walking to reach a mountain, one could 
step right up to a mountain and touch it. Uncle 
Lee explained that these mountains were made 
of many layers of limestone and other rocks. He 
said that there were over fifteen hundred square 
miles in Glacier Park, but Peter and Nancy 
decided they could enjoy a good deal of scenery 
in even a small part of it. 

The glaciers, after which the park was named, 
were to be seen on many rugged mountainsides. 
They were slow-moving rivers of ice—sixty of 
them. The lakes were clear and cold and blue. 
Sometimes there were ice floes in them. 

“Glacier National Park has an unusual variety 
of plant life,” Uncle Lee observed. 

Peter and Nancy agreed that this was true. 
There were mosses, lichens, delicately colored 
alpine flowers, heather, gentians, and wild helio¬ 
trope. Great pines, firs, cedars, and hemlocks 
reached their branches toward the clear blue sky. 


251 


252 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK 

The animal life interested Uncle Lee quite as 
much as it interested Peter and Nancy. Bighorn 
or Rocky Mountain sheep, mountain goats, moose, 
elk, bears, and deer, as well as a number of 
smaller animals, all lived there in their natural 
surroundings. 

At their hotel the MacLarens were entertained 
with songs, dances, and stories by Blackfeet Indi¬ 
ans who came from the reservation near by. Peter 
and Nancy had hoped that there might be time 
for an overnight hike in the park. They had 
studied a map of the park and selected the trails 
that they thought would be most interesting. But 




FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


253 



Glacier National Park 

BIGHORN SHEEP 

Uncle Lee was anxious to be traveling westward. 

Spokane, in Washington, the ^^Evergreen State,’^ 
was like Great Falls in Montana in one respect. 
Spokane, too, had a river, the Spokane River, 
whose falls furnished valuable water power to 
generate electricity for the lighting of streets and 
for other purposes. Uncle Lee said that Spokane 
was the chief city of eastern Washington, and the 
trading center for the farming, mining, and lum¬ 
bering region around it. To Peter and Nancy 
it was a very handsome city, with its rushing 
river cutting through the center. There were 
fine public buildings, beautiful homes, and many 
good hotels. The lobby of the hotel in which 




254 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


the MacLarens stayed was full of singing birds. 

Uncle Lee told Peter and Nancy that on the 
eastern side of the Cascade Mountains was a 
vast tract of ranching land. Beyond this were 
valleys made green and beautiful through irriga¬ 
tion. Wheat was raised extensively. Here, too, 
were located Washington's famous orchards, noted 
for the production of apples, peaches, and pears. 

Seattle, on Puget Sound, which the MacLarens 
reached by a railway journey from Spokane, was 
important as a commercial, industrial, and finan¬ 
cial center of the Pacific Northwest. It did not 
take Peter and Nancy long to realize that. The 
tall buildings looked out to the deep, blue Sound 
and toward the Olympic Mountains. The resi¬ 
dential district looked down upon the business 
section. It spread along the beaches, too, and to 
the islands in Puget Sound. Wherever one’s eyes 
turned toward the Sound there were the spars of 
ships against the sky. 

The terraced homes had beautiful lawns and 
gardens. There were lovely parks, too. Uncle Lee 
said that the mild climate and frequent rains 
made Seattle an all-the-year-round green city. 

The lake at the east side of the city, the children 
learned, was Lake Washington. There was a ship 
canal connecting the water front with the lake 
so that the steamers might pass through the 
locks into the lake for safe anchorage. 



FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


255 



Ewing Oallowuy 

VOLUNTEER PARK IN SEATTLE 

“But why should the steamers want to get into 
the lake?” Nancy demanded. “Wouldn’t they be 
just as well off at the wharves?” 

“They go into the fresh water of the lake,” 
Uncle Lee explained, “to free themselves of bar¬ 
nacles. Barnacles, as you know, are little shell¬ 
fish that attach themselves to steamers that sail 
in salt water. When too many barnacles collect 
on the hull of a ship, the ship is kept from going 
as fast as it should. You see, barnacles can’t 
live in fresh water, and, after a ship has been in 




256 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

GREAT LUMBER DOCKS AT SEATTLE 


the lake for a while, the barnacles drop off and 
the ship is ready to sail out perfectly clean.” 

Peter and Nancy spent much time with Uncle 
Lee down on the wharves. They saw ships from 
the Orient unloading tea and raw silk, ships from 
India unloading jute, ships from Siberia bringing 
in furs, and boats from Manila with hemp. The 
principal outgoing product seemed to be fish. 
Uncle Lee said that close to thirty thousand tons 
of fish—salmon, cod, and herring—were shipped 
every year. 

The docks, piled high with lumber, reminded 
Peter and Nancy of the fact that Washington 
produced more lumber than any other state. 
Uncle Lee said that much lumber was shipped 
by rail, also, for Seattle was a railway center as 
well as an ocean port. 

Peter and Nancy were thrilled by the beauty 









FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


257 


of this city with its mountains, lakes, trout 
streams, and an ocean right at its doors. A short 
trip would take one to Tacoma, the “Lumber 
Capital of America,” or to Mount Rainier, the 
highest peak in the state, with over thirty thou¬ 
sand acres of glaciers upon it. Nancy declared 
that she couldn’t quite decide whether to look 
seaward or landward. To the north of the city 
rose Mount Baker and, to the northeast. Glacier 
Peak. And down below were the ever-inviting 
ships. 

It was on one of these ships that the MacLarens 
went to Alaska. The boat sailed out of the har¬ 
bor, with the MacLarens looking up at the climb¬ 
ing city and at the mountains in the background. 

Peter and Nancy had mind pictures of Klon¬ 
dike gold, silver, and copper, of totem poles in 
front of Indian wigwams and cabins, of salmon 
fishing and Eskimos, and of northern lights! 
Above all, they thought of Alaska as a land of 
snow and ice in spite of information to the con¬ 
trary. And now Uncle Lee, seated in his deck 
chair with a map, pointed out the fact that it 
was only fifty-six miles across Bering Strait— 
from North America to Asia. Peter said that 
it would take Jimmy Dustin only a few minutes 
to make it in his plane. 

The boat stopped at Vancouver, British Colum¬ 
bia, to take on passengers. The children saw 




258 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Vancouver again as an amazing city of sky¬ 
scrapers and beautiful homes, set in a bay and 
rising against a background of lofty mountains 
much like Seattle. 

The MacLarens were taking the Inside Pas¬ 
sage, which was a thousand-mile ocean lane pro¬ 
tected by towering mountains. That very first 
day they were in Johnstone Straits and could see 
a logging camp from the boat. The second day a 
landing was made at Ocean Falls, and the little 
party went ashore to visit a papermaking plant. 

On the third day out the boat stopped for fuel 
at the first port of call in Alaska—Ketchikan. 

It was very early in the morning, so early that 
the golden rays of the sun sifted but dimly 
through the curtain of rain. Peter and Nancy 
rubbed the sleep out of their eyes as Uncle Lee 
hustled them up on deck. All night long the ship 
had tossed, but the sideboards, as Peter called 
them, had kept the passengers from tumbling 
out of the bunks. But it had been fun sailing on 
this old ship that had made so many trips to 
Alaska. 

It was raining harder. A passenger with rain 
dripping from his hatbrim asked an old sailor, 
''Does it always rain like this in Ketchikan?'^ 

"DonT know,^’ the sailor answered. "Pve come 
here well onto twenty years, and iPs never failed 
to rain yet.^' 



FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


259 



James Sawders 

THE FIRST PORT OF CALL IN ALASKA 

Uncle Lee said that, although the old sailor 
was probably stretching the truth a little, the air 
at Ketchikan was always full of moisture. 

Because it was low tide, Peter and Nancy 
crossed the gangplank from the bridge deck to 
the land. Part of Ketchikan seemed to come 
down to the shore to meet its visitors. This was 
because some of the city was built on piers 
and reached out over the water. Much of the 
city, the MacLarens observed, was built against 
the side of a steep mountain. 







260 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


^Wooden streets!’’ Peter, running ahead of 
Nancy and Uncle Lee, made the discovery first. 
‘‘And wooden sidewalks!” 

Nancy stared in amazement at the wooden 
•streets made of planks laid across the road. The 
board sidewalks were raised a foot from the 
streets and were so narrow that the MacLarens 
could not walk abreast. Nancy crowded along 
with Uncle Lee, while Peter followed. 

“Want to see one of the canneries?” Uncle Lee 
asked. “Ketchikan is a fishing center and boasts 
eleven salmon canneries.” 

As it happened, the MacLarens saw the cannery 
“backwards.” They entered the long, low wooden 
building at the door where the bright-colored 
labels were being pasted on the cans. Then they 
saw the fish being packed into cans. Last of all 
the visitors saw the cleaning room and the fish 
coming up into it from a platform down below, 
just like logs coming into a mill. The odor was 
so overpowering that Nancy turned white and 
Uncle Lee promptly hustled her out into the fresh 
air. 

The rainy streets were lined with wooden 
buildings. The little homes on the mountainside 
looked inviting and the people striding along the 
board walks seemed cheerful. 

The MacLarens found a department store 
where Uncle Lee outfitted Peter and Nancy with 



FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


261 


raincoats and hats—which they did not need 
again on the whole trip. The MacLarens made 
a short trip to Hyder near Ketchikan to visit 
an old silver mine. Hyder had narrow board 
streets and walks, too, and the tide came right 
up into the town. It was the only place in Alaska 
where Peter and Nancy felt that the mountains 
were shutting them in. 

After the boat left Ketchikan, the rain ceased 
and the sun came out. Everyone played games 
on the deck. 

Arriving at Wrangell, they were told by a 
storekeeper that the town had five miles of 
streets, all boards. These streets ran up and up, 
almost in layers it seemed. The few automobiles 
that had been shipped in had a difficult time. 
Both Peter and Nancy were interested in the 
strange-looking totem poles for which Wrangell 
was so well known. 

A tiny candy shop did a lively business when¬ 
ever a ship came in. Wrangell was just far 
enough away from Seattle, the girl owner said, 
so that the bon voyage candy had given out by 
the time most travelers reached her shop. 

The children visited a quaint little church with 
lovely pews and an altar of wood which had been 
cut there in Alaska. 

A huge husky met every boat that came into 
the port. He would wait patiently, peering 



262 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

WOODEN STEEETS AND TOTEM POLES 


up at each passenger who came down the gang¬ 
plank. He would stand tense, his ears erect, 
his tail ready to wag. Then, when the last new¬ 
comer left the boat, he would turn sadly away. 

“His master went ‘Outside,’ as they say here,” 
Uncle Lee explained, “several years ago. He 
never came back. But the dog still waits.” 

He was not a friendly dog, but before the Mac- 
Larens left, he had taken to following Peter and 
Nancy about the town. 

On the fourth day the captain was busy direct¬ 
ing his boat toward Taku Glacier. It was a per- 











FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


263 



United Air Lines 

TAKU GLACIER, A WALL OF ICE 


feet day, and Peter remarked that he could easily 
imagine he was on the St. Croix River in Minne¬ 
sota except that the mountains were so much 
higher than the Minnesota bluffs. The moun¬ 
tains were heavily wooded and the air was fra¬ 
grant with pine. 

As the boat drew in among the ice floes toward 
the glacier, Peter and Nancy could feel the cold 
breath of Taku. It was strange to have the hot 
sun on one’s back and the cold breeze in one’s 
face. Because of the icebergs and the floes, the 
boat barely crawled along. 

Nancy said, “The icebergs are as clear and 





264 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


cleanly cut as though our iceman had chopped 
them off.” 

Before them Peter and Nancy saw a most 
beautiful wall of living ice—Taku Glacier! It 
was of a rare bluish-green color and sparkling 
with light. As they watched the great chunks of 
ice break from this mammoth glacier and tumble 
into the waters of the inlet, leaving cliff-like 
formations, they knew that they would remember 
this long after it was out of their sight. 

There was no' more rain, not even any fog. 

The next stop was at Juneau, the capital of 
Alaska. Juneau, like Ketchikan, was built at 
the foot of a mountain. Here, too, Peter and 
Nancy walked along board streets and board 
sidewalks. But the sun was so warm that their 
spirits were high. They swung their sweaters 
in their hands as they hurried along. 

“Look at the big, white wooden buildings!” 
Nancy cried. 

“Government buildings,” Uncle Lee explained. 
“We’ll go into the Alaska Territorial Museum 
and see the fine collection that the historical 
society has started.” 

The children viewed all sorts of treasures, 
from deer antlers to picks and shovels used in 
the first prospecting. There was also an interest¬ 
ing gift shop on the main street that displayed 
collections of Yukon treasures. Whenever a boat 



FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


265 



Jantes Sawders 


GOLD MINING AT JUNEAU 

landed, the shop opened up. So said the dealer 
with whom the MacLarens talked. 

‘‘Even at two in the morning?^' Peter asked, 
and added, “I wouldn’t want to be a clerk.” 

But the store fascinated him. So did the school 
with the library upstairs. 

On a little side street Peter and Nancy dis¬ 
covered a much smaller shop run by an old 
miner. He showed his visitors many fine carv¬ 
ings from walrus tusks and seemed not to mind 
whether they purchased anything or not. He 



266 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


picked out curiously carved earrings, bracelets, 
and pins to show Nancy, and he called Peter’s 
attention to some odd-looking little men and a 
fine cribbage board set. 

When Uncle Lee came to look for Peter and 
Nancy he found them strolling down to the beach 
with the old miner, who was pointing out the 
dead city across from Juneau. Once, he said, 
it was known as Douglas, and its streets re¬ 
sounded to the shouts of gold-crazed prospectors. 
Then he proudly told them that gold was still 
being mined at Juneau. 

Out from Juneau the MacLarens visited an¬ 
other body of ice, the Mendenhall Glacier. It 
was an inspiring sight, but it was not quite 
so bright and clean-looking as Taku. 

All along the shores Peter and Nancy ex¬ 
claimed over the totem poles set up to show the 
tribal family to which those particular Indians 
belonged. The carvings of men and birds and 
beasts in wood with oddly painted decorations 
told a story not easily deciphered by a stranger. 

At Skagway the MacLarens walked a good half 
mile up to the town. The sun was very hot, almost 
like July weather in Minnesota. The mountains 
were bare except where they were covered with 
snow, and people hurrying to catch a train into 
the interior carried heavy wraps with them. 

The MacLarens stepped into a queer old store 



FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


267 


that carried everything one could imagine, from 
pickaxes to mosquito netting. 

'‘In the early days the Pullen House was famed 
as a hotel all over Alaska,’’ Uncle Lee said. 
"We’ll go to see it. It is a museum now as well, 
and you will find many interesting relics of the 
gold-rush days.” 

The grand piano in the living room of the Pul¬ 
len House testified to the elegance of those days, 
and the fireplace told of the comfort. There were 
leather chairs, couches, and huge cushions. The 
walls were literally covered with testimonials of 
various guests, names famous all over Alaska. 

The great strings of rare Russian beads made 
especially for the early fur-traders fascinated 
Nancy. Uncle Lee called attention to an old 
newspaper which contained a picture of George 
Carmack who first struck it rich in the Klondike. 
Daubs of gilt representing large nuggets sur¬ 
rounded the picture. There were Indian relics, 
too—long strings of beads, lovely robes and coats 
of the skins of moose, and bags of cedar bark. 

The town was like a garden, for everybody 
raised flowers. Flowers of all kinds grew to 
enormous sizes. A railroad man proudly showed 
the MacLarens his bed of pink and white baby’s- 
breath, and his giant dahlias fourteen inches 
in diameter. 

At the end of a week of ocean travel the Mac- 



268 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

ALASKA FLOWERS 

Larens found themselves in Sitka, Alaska’s oldest 
city, and once the Russian capital of Alaska, as 
well as the capital of the territory until 1906 . 
There they visited the Government Agricultural 
Station, where they were again shown that Alaska 






FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


269 



Ewing Galloway 

AN AIRPLANE WITH SLED RUNNERS 


was much more than a barren land of ice and 
snow and mountains and glaciers. They saw 
fields of vegetables and berries of all kinds grow¬ 
ing well in the long sunlit days. 

“What a land of surprises!” exclaimed Peter 
when Uncle Lee pointed to a strawberry patch.” 

At dinner that night they met Jimmy Dustin. 
He had arrived in his plane and promised to 
show the MacLarens more of Alaska before mak¬ 
ing the long flight down the Pacific coast. 

Early the next morning the travelers were 
on their way again. As the plane flew over 
territory that was new to Peter and Nancy, 
Uncle Lee told of the places of interest below. 

“Whitehorse, in Yukon Province, Canada,” he 




270 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


explained, “is the head of navigation on the 
Yukon River and is an important outfitting point 
for big-game hunters.” 

When Fairbanks, Alaska, came into view, 
Peter questioned, “Wasn’t there a mining camp 
here during the gold-rush days?” 

“That’s right!” was Uncle Lee’s reply, “and 
Fairbanks is still very much concerned with gold. 
We should visit the huge gold dredges found 
there. You would be interested, too, in the Alaska 
Agricultural College located there. And you 
would no doubt be surprised at the fine grains, 
vegetables, and fruits raised in this section.” 

They flew over a section of Mount McKinley 
National Park. From near the center of the 
vast park rose Mount McKinley, the highest 
mountain peak in North America. 

Jimmy brought the plane down at Bethel. 

“Now you’ll see a typical Eskimo village,” 
Uncle Lee promised. “I couldn’t let you leave 
Alaska without this glimpse of Alaskan life. 
If you lived here very long, you’d come to know 
what it meant to stay ‘Inside,’ for Bethel people 
have little contact with the outside world.” 

Jimmy learned from the postal clerk that there 
were about fifty white people in Bethel and 
about two hundred Eskimos. The MacLarens 
walked along the main street of the town, which 
lay on the west side of Kuskokwim River. They 



FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


271 



Ewing Galloway 

AN ALASKAN DOG TEAM 


saw the wireless station, the post office, a church, 
and four stores. A group of children, laughing 
and round of face, followed at Peter^s and 
Nancy’s heels. 

Almost every home, whether a frame house or 
a log cabin, had its dog pen, and there appeared 
to be more dogs than people. The only sign of an 
industry was a small sawmill on the banks of the 
river, where logs were cut and rafted down the 
river during the short season when it was open. 
Turning back to look at the homes, Peter and 
Nancy were impressed with the fact that there 
wasn’t a bit of concrete or stone in the town. The 
yards of the little houses were not the flower- 
garden yards of southern Alaskan cities. Most 
yards had their own piles of firewood, fish-drying 




272 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

AN ESKIMO FAMILY AT HOME 

racks, and usually traps, sleds, and snowshoes. 

Peter asked, ^^Uncle Lee, why is there a sort 
of little house built in front of each door? Is 
it a storm house 

‘‘Exactly,’’ Uncle Lee replied. “They’re called 
shelter houses. When the door is opened, the 
big room of the house is protected from the 
cold air. Fuel is scarce up here. Eskimos let 
their fires go out at night and depend on fur 
bedding to keep them warm.” 

The MacLarens were amazed at the size of a 
walrus which some of the Eskimo hunters had 

















FROM GLACIERS TO STRAWBERRIES 


273 



Ewing Galloway 

THE PICTURE UNCLE LEE SNAPPED 


brought in. Nancy asked Uncle Lee if he would 
take a picture of the huge animal so that she 
might have it for her scrapbook. 

Uncle Lee asked two of the little Eskimo chil¬ 
dren to pose with the walrus and then snapped 
the picture. 

The friendly village children escorted Peter 
and Nancy around the town and took them out 
to see a reindeer herd pasturing not far away. 
Uncle Lee called the feeding grounds the tundra. 
They were rather wet and actually swampy in 
places. The grass, the lichens, and the reindeer 



274 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


moss grew luxuriantly. One of the bigger boys 
explained that the ground never thawed out 
beyond a depth of a few feet, even in the warmest 
summer, but by the time the snows came again, 
the vegetation had made a thick carpet. 

‘We know how the reindeer eat then,’’ Nancy 
said. “They dig down under the snow.” 

The Bethel children had many pets among the 
reindeer, and Nancy got so well acquainted with 
a small reindeer that it followed her about like 
a dog. Peter persuaded Uncle Lee to stay over 
another day so they might take a longer trip 
over the tundra and see the big reindeer herds. 

“Jimmy had planned to fly us to Nome,” Uncle 
Lee told Peter and Nancy, as they climbed into 
the plane in which they were to follow the Alaskan 
air route toward the United States. “But there 
isn’t time. The gold rush to Nome in 1900 was 
one of the most remarkable in mining history. 
In a short time about twenty thousand people 
came to live there and to hunt for gold. Tents, 
houses, hotels, banks, stores, and other buildings 
were constructed. Today, however, Nome is a 
town of only about a thousand inhabitants. Gold 
is still mined there, but in a much smaller way.” 

Jimmy started the motor and the MacLarens 
were on their way once more. 

So long as Peter and Nancy could see them, the 
little Eskimos were waving. 



DOWN THE LONG PACIFIC COAST 


“AND now we are flying toward the United 
Statesexclaimed Nancy. 

^‘But therefll be much to see before we reach 
Seattle/’ Peter added. 

Peter was right. As they looked down from 
the plane, he and Nancy could not help realizing 
the variety of landscape, growth, and industry 
in Alaska. The places at which their steamer 
had stopped were very different from Bethel and 
other towns in that section of the country. 

‘^And now we’re in Canada,” Uncle Lee in¬ 
formed Peter and Nancy as the plane crossed into 
the territory of British Columbia. 

As the plane circled above Prince Rupert, the 
largest city on the northern British Columbian 
coast. Uncle Lee pointed out the big storage 
plant for halibut and other fish, and Jimmy called 
attention to the Government Dry Dock. 

Looking down on Alert Bay later in the morn¬ 
ing, Peter and Nancy saw the buildings of the 
salmon cannery. Nancy observed, 'T would 
much rather see fish canneries from the air than 
from the ground!” 

There were quaint totem poles and an old 
Indian cemetery near the village. A brief glimpse. 


275 


276 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


and then the plane winged its way to Powell 
River where they would see, Uncle Lee told them, 
the largest pulp and paper mill on the Pacific 
coast. Jimmy fiew low so that Peter and Nancy 
might see the big frame buildings. 

Seattle was a familiar and welcome sight. But 
Jimmy fiew up over the mountains saying, 
want to show you the beginning and the end of 
a wonderful trip that you took on your way to 
Seattle.’’ 

Peter and Nancy looked at each other question- 
ingly, and then Peter shouted, "‘Oh, I know! The 
Cascade Tunnel!” 

<<We’ve been through it!” Nancy said. ^‘An 
electric engine pulled us through.” 

‘^You’ve seen the inside,” Jimmy agreed. ^‘Now 
for the outside.” 

Jimmy reached the town of Berne, then turned 
back and headed toward Seattle. The Cascades 
below were high, dangerous-looking peaks. He 
flew across the peaks for seven miles to Scenic 
where, down below, an electric engine was pulling 
a train out of the mouth of a tunnel. 

“There are only four longer tunnels in the 
world,” Uncle Lee said. “And they are all in 
Europe.” 

That evening they had dinner at the home of 
the friend who had driven Uncle Lee’s car from 
Chicago to Seattle. From the veranda of the 



DOWN THE LONG PACIFIC COAST 


277 


home in which they dined, Peter and Nancy could 
look down over the campus of the University of 
Washington with its many fine buildings. Part 
of the 582-acre campus was wild woodland, but 
a great deal of it had been laid out in flowery 
lawns and walks. 

The city below began to sparkle as the lights 
came on. No eastern city had ever been more 
brilliantly lighted. Uncle Lee’s host explained 
that Skagil Dam was responsible for the inexpen¬ 
sive electricity the city enjoyed. 

Later that evening while driving, Peter and 
Nancy noticed the great number of lighted 
chicken coops on the outskirts of Seattle. Uncle 
Lee said that the electric lights helped to make 
the hens lay more eggs, and added, “I’m sure 
you’ll see no finer poultry farms than these, for I 
have often been told that Washington poultry 
raisers take great pride in their products.” 

Peter and Nancy were amused by the cable cars 
which carried passengers to places located on 
the city’s steep hills. It was necessary to use 
cars which were moved by cables because the 
wheels of streetcars, powered by electricity, 
would slip and spin and could not carry the cars 
to the top. 

On their many drives and excursions the three 
MacLarens realized how appropriate the name 
“Evergreen State” was for Washington. There 



278 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


were numberless firs, cedars, and pines, both on 
the mountains and in the valleys. 

Olympia, the capital city, was dominated by 
the dazzling white dome of the Capitol. The 
Capitol was set with other government buildings 
in a large tract of natural timber. It seemed 
perfectly natural to see a herd of elk in Olympic 
National Park where the MacLarens picnicked. 

Afterwards they returned to Olympia to visit 
the large woolen mill and to see the Douglas fir 
plywood plant. 

Bellingham, the ‘‘Tulip City,’^ with its famed 
drives, its salmon cannery, and its lumbering, 
was as beautiful as a town in Holland. Near by 
was the Government Experimental Farm where 
Dutch bulbs were being grown and improved. 
In the spring, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and 
narcissuses filled the air with sweetness and the 
eye with color. Many of the people raised chickens, 
too, and there were acres of sugar beets and 
berries. Some of the Dutch farmers wore wooden 
shoes in their fields. 

In Tacoma, Peter and Nancy saw many lumber 
mills. Near by were great forests of Douglas 
fir. Uncle Lee said that the planting of new 
forests would from now on be part of the work 
of modern lumbermen. As fast as trees were 
cut down, seedlings were planted in equal num¬ 
ber. Tacoma, the children found, milled flour 



DOWN THE LONG PACIFIC COAST 


279 



Ewing Galloway 

A WASHINGTON BULB FARM 


and made furniture and machine-shop products. 
It carried on other smaller industries, too. 

An automobile trip took Peter and Nancy into 
the apple country. Yakima, Uncle Lee said, had 
enjoyed an apple blossom festival earlier in the 
season. Now the blossoms were gone and fruit 
was developing. A short way over the mountain 
lay Wenatchee, known as the ^‘Apple Capital.^’ 
Here apples were raised in such quantities that 
they were shipped out in carloads. 

An airplane flight with Jimmy before leaving 
Washington gave the MacLarens a view of 
Mount Rainier and Rainier National Park. They 
gazed down on snow-capped mountains, bare 






280 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 


SNOW-CAPPED MOUNT RAINIER 

crags, and dense evergreens, and once they flew 
out over a flowery meadow. Unforgettable were 
the vivid orange-red paintbrush plants against 
the silvery gray of sagebrush low on a mountain- 




DOWN THE LONG PACIFIC COAST 


281 



GRAND COULEE DAM 

side. A few times the children caught glimpses 
of elk and deer. 

“Understand one thing about Washington be¬ 
fore we leave,” Uncle Lee said. “It has electric 
power in abundance. Grand Coulee Dam is one 
of the most wonderful engineering feats ever 
attempted by man. Jimmy will fly us over to 
see it.” 

Uncle Lee said that the object of the dam was to 
furnish water to farm lands from the Columbia 
River. The dam was to be so constructed as to 






282 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


back the water of the river up to the Canadian 
border. 

The MacLarens arrived early one morning and 
walked to the rim of the gorge above the river. 
On the left bank lay a permanent town with paved 
streets and concrete sidewalks. Across the river 
lay Mason City with hospitals, hotels, schools, 
churches, and other buildings to care for the 
workers. Uncle Lee figured that there were 
about fifteen thousand people on the job. The 
river down below was, so the guide said, second 
in flow to the Mississippi. 

Peter and Nancy were truly impressed when 
they learned that Coulee Dam was four times as 
large as the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and that 
three times as much concrete was used in it as 
in famous Boulder Dam in Nevada. 

“When the dam is completed,” the guide said, 
“the lake will contain ten million acre-feet of 
water—two thousand gallons for each person on 
earth. The water is good water, too—so clear 
that there isn’t even a silt problem.” 

On their way to Portland, Oregon, the Mac¬ 
Larens stopped at Bonneville Dam. Peter and 
Nancy were interested in seeing the fish ladders 
which made it possible for the salmon to get 
above the dam at spawning time. 

The MacLarens hurried on to Portland, the 
“Rose City,” in order to be in time for the rose 



DOWN THE LONG PACIFIC COAST 


283 



BONNEVILLE DAM 


festival. But the first scene to catch their in¬ 
terest in Portland was that of the great log 
rafts in the fresh-water harbor. The giant logs, 
tied together with chains, were ready to be towed 
out of the Columbia River and along the Califor¬ 
nia coast. Uncle Lee said that one of these 
giant rafts probably included some five million 
feet of timber. 

guess lumbering is an important industry 
in Oregon,’’ commented Peter. 






284 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Charles Phelps Cushing 
PORTLAND AND MOUNT HOOD 

“It certainly is,” agreed Uncle Lee. “Oregon 
produces about one-fifth of the lumber supply 
of the whole United States. She has more stand¬ 
ing timber than any other state.” 

Mount Hood, the highest point in the state, 
rose high in the distance against a blue sky in 
which soft white clouds floated. All the way 
along, the country was rich in orchards of prunes, 
plums, apples, and English walnuts. 

Portland’s climate. Uncle Lee said, was so mild 
that flowers bloomed the year round. 





DOWN THE LONG PACIFIC COAST 


285 



Portland Chamber of Commerce 

A FLOAT IN THE ROSE FESTIVAL PARADE 

At the Rose Test Gardens and again at the 
rose show the MacLarens saw many kinds of 
roses they had never seen before. But the most 
beautiful of all sights was the floral parade. 
This parade, with its many flower-covered floats, 
was over a mile long. And not a single artificial 
blossom was used! 

“A city which has such lovely roses as we have 
seen here well deserves to be called the ‘Rose 
City,'" declared Nancy, as they left the stadium 
when the parade was over. 




THE GOLDEN STATE 


S OUTHWARD to sunny California, the ^^Golden 
State’’! Peter and Nancy sat with Uncle 
Lee in the front seat of the car. The back seat 
was high with luggage and wraps. In the early 
morning sun the air had a golden haze in it. 
Toward noon, with the sun high in the heavens, 
the air was too warm for wraps. But toward 
evening the wraps were in demand. 

Driving south from Oregon, the children could 
see Mount Shasta in the distance, its base in 
luxurious greenery, its snow-capped head raised 
proudly against the sky. Uncle Lee said it was 
a volcanic mountain, but it looked very peaceful. 
Enormously tall trees appeared. 

‘^Redwoods!” Uncle Lee announced, and drove 
the car slowly so that Peter and Nancy could 
look up at the great trees with the rough, dark 
bark and the green, rich foliage. Rhododendrons 
bloomed in delicate beauty at their feet. 

All the way from the Oregon border to Mon¬ 
terey, could be seen acres of peaches, pears, figs, 
apricots, oranges, lemons, cherries, olives, wal¬ 
nuts, and almonds. Uncle Lee was frequently 
stopping the car so that Peter and Nancy might 
inspect a new kind of orchard or grove. 


286 


THE GOLDEN STATE 


287 



Ewing Galloway 


SUPREME COURT BUILDING AT SACRAMENTO 

driving inland to Sacramento, the capi¬ 
tal city of California,'' Uncle Lee announced. 
'The valley that surrounds it is often called a 
'huge garden and great fruit basket.'" 











288 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Peter and Nancy noticed that much of this 
productive land was irrigated, and they realized 
how wisely the settlers had planned to make the 
desert country bloom. They were not surprised 
to find in Sacramento some of the world’s largest 
canneries and preserving factories. 

Sacramento had a fine Capitol which stood in 
a forty-acre park. But Peter and Nancy were 
more interested in the Supreme Court Building 
with its inscription: bring me men to match 
MY MOUNTAINS. 

The party remained in Sacramento overnight 
and went on to Oakland the following morning. 
San Francisco Bay glittered in the sun. And 
there were the two tremendous bridges stretch¬ 
ing across it. One bridged the world-famous 
Golden Gate; the other led to and from Oak¬ 
land. Goat Island, lying directly in the path 
between San Francisco and Oakland, made a 
fine support for the eight-mile bridge. 

They found Oakland, with its fine municipal 
airport and its vegetable and dried-fruit indus¬ 
try, an interesting city, but never had Peter and 
Nancy felt a greater thrill than when they crossed 
the new bridge to San Francisco in Uncle Lee’s 
car. 

From Uncle Lee’s enthusiasm Peter and Nancy 
could tell that their visit would be exciting. 
They were fascinated by the variety of things 



THE GOLDEN STATE 


289 



THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE 

which they beheld upon riding through a por¬ 
tion of the city. Cable cars climbed hills which 
were too steep for electric streetcars. At times 
Nancy felt that their automobile could never 





















290 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


reach the top of some of these hills, but Uncle 
Lee assured her that it could, and it did. 

The MacLarens enjoyed one wonderful experi¬ 
ence after another. There was the visit to the 
water front that Uncle Lee said had smelled 
of sugar for half a century. But there was 
the smell of coffee, too, and of raw silk, and 
of tea and spices. At Fishermen’s Wharf there 
was sea food in great plenty, and many house¬ 
wives came down to get a supply of fresh fish. 

Peter and Nancy had expected Chinatown to 
be rather quaint and shabby, perhaps even a 
little dangerous. Instead they found the Chinese 
section of the city full of shops, some actually 
luxurious, and cafes that served both Chinese 
and American food. And there were many well- 
dressed people, quite as modern as any other 
San Franciscans. Uncle Lee said that, though 
the Chinese children attended public schools, they 
also learned Chinese in private schools. The 
Latin quarter, the Japanese section, the Italian 
settlement—all these made of San Francisco an 
international city. Peter and Nancy visited 
Golden Gate Park, the splendid schools and li¬ 
braries, and they even learned about the fine 
water system which brought good water to the 
city from Hetch Hetchy Dam. 

Peter looked across the waters of the bay and 
saw Alcatraz Prison. How like a pelican it stood 



THE GOLDEN STATE 


291 



Ewing (jtauoway 


SAN FRANCISCO’S CHINATOWN 


there, swept by swift tides. Peter had heard 
that Alcatraz was the Spanish word for Pelican. 






292 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



AN OLD SPANISH MISSION 


As they rode south from San Francisco, the 
MacLarens saw a number of the old missions. 
These missions reminded them of what an im¬ 
portant and unselfish part the early missionaries 
had had in building California. Often the in¬ 
teriors of the historic structures were gloomy, 
but the bells were sweet and the gardens lovely. 

The whole Santa Clara Valley, south of San 
Francisco, was rich with cherry, peach, and prune 
orchards. 





THE GOLDEN STATE 


293 


Fresno, Uncle Lee explained as they drove on, 
was one of the most productive fruit-growing 
districts of the United States. Peter and Nancy 
were not surprised to learn that the leading 
industry of Fresno was the drying and packing 
of fruits. A packing plant of the raisin indus¬ 
try which was located there was said to be the 
largest of its kind in the world. 

The MacLarens spent a night at a fine air- 
conditioned hotel in Bakersfield. Although it was 
not a large city, business seemed to be thriving. 

“How do you account for the prosperity of this 
busy little city?” Peter asked. 

“Bakersfield is the county seat of Kern County, 
which is noted for its rich oil fields,” Uncle Lee 
replied. “It is also the center of a productive 
agricultural district. A great deal of cotton is 
raised here, as well as many vegetables and fruits. 

“And,” continued Uncle Lee, “if you were here 
during March or April, you would find Kern 
County a more beautiful place than you can 
imagine. The fields are carpeted with wild 
flowers—^poppies, lupines, Indian paintbrush, and 
a host of others. Visitors come many miles to 
view the blossoms which make thousands of acres 
brilliant with their color.” 

“How I should like to be here then!” said Nancy. 

The MacLarens found Santa Barbara a de¬ 
lightful resort. The crescent beach, the many 



294 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

OIL WELLS UNDER THE SEA 

beautiful trees and flowers, the Spanish archi¬ 
tecture, and the pleasant climate made it one of 
the loveliest places on the Pacific coast. 

Uncle Lee had told Peter and Nancy of the oil 
wells under the sea. Here they saw the great 
derricks which stood at the water’s edge and 
even extended into the ocean. But of all the spots 
they visited during their brief stay there, Peter 
and Nancy were most impressed with the pictur¬ 
esque old mission of Santa Barbara. They were 
told that it had been founded by Father Junipero 
Serra in 1786. 





THE GOLDEN STATE 


295 


After leaving Santa Barbara, the MacLarens 
drove on to Los Angeles, the “City of the Angels.” 

It was not exactly that, but it was a delightful 
city set against the foothills of the Sierra Madre 
Mountains. After having seen the skyscrapers 
of other large cities, the buildings in Los Angeles 
seemed low. Uncle Lee said that, because of 
possible earthquakes, no permits were granted 
for buildings over 150 feet high. 

A shopkeeper said, “In Los Angeles County 
you may ski at Big Pines in the morning, and 
take a dip in the ocean in the afternoon.” 

He spoke also of the large vineyards and 
orange groves not far from the city, and of the 
excellent harbor about twenty miles south where 
Los Angeles exported fruit, oil, olives, walnuts, 
wine, gold, silver, cement, lime, and borax. Then 
he took a deep breath and mentioned the imports, 
the lumber from northern California, Washing¬ 
ton, and Oregon, and raw materials such as rub¬ 
ber, silk, colfee, and cacao. He informed Peter 
and Nancy that they would never lack for eggs 
in California, for there were many fine poultry 
farms. One large farm near Los Angeles sup¬ 
plied 125,000 eggs a day. 

The lunch stands and soft-drink parlors in 
the suburbs swept Peter and Nancy into gales 
of laughter. They were shaped like animals, 
fowls, jails, and old hats. There was even one 



296 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Los Angeles County Chamber of Commerce 

MAKING MOVIES IN HOLLYWOOD 

like a shoe. This sort of unusual building was 
their introduction to Hollywood with its movie in¬ 
dustry. Uncle Lee pointed out the great motion- 
picture studios as they drove past and explained 
that these represented the giant industry which 
had given to Hollywood the title, ‘‘Capital of 
Movieland.’^ The MacLarens were fortunate in 
being able to see some scenes being taken. They 
were surprised at the number of times the same 
scene had to be played before it was satisfactory. 
Peter and Nancy had expected to see on the 





THE GOLDEN STATE 


297 



Los Angeles County Chamber of Commerce 

MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY 

streets of Hollywood many of the picturesque 
characters which they had seen in the movies, 
but the people there looked much the same as 
those in other places. 

The three travelers stopped off near Pasadena 
to see Mount Wilson Observatory and its giant 
telescope. At the Huntington Art Gallery at San 
Marino they saw the famous “Blue Boy,” painted 
by Gainsborough. And at Long Beach they visited 
the United States fleet anchored just off shore. 

One of the most delightful days of all was that 







298 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


spent at Santa Catalina, the ^'Magic Isle’^ some 
twenty miles off the southern California coast. 

As the steamer carrying the MacLarens to the 
island skimmed over the blue-green waters of 
the Pacific, Peter and Nancy were amused by 
what Uncle Lee called ‘‘the acrobatics of the fly¬ 
ing fish.’’ They rose from the water as if they 
had wings, then splashed back again. 

There were so many things to see on the island 
that the MacLarens scarcely had time to catch 
a breath during the entire day. There were the 
sea lions which lived along the south coast, the 
submarine gardens which were viewed from a 
glass-bottomed boat, the bird park, and a mul¬ 
titude of other sights. 

The MacLarens made other visits in southern 
California. They called at one big ranch to see 
the cultivated fan and feather palms. They visited 
San Bernardino, a charming city surrounded by 
the orange groves, vineyards, orchards, and fields 
of a fertile valley. Uncle Lee told Peter and 
Nancy that each February or March the National 
Orange Show was held at San Bernardino. And 
they also went to San Diego which was once a 
refitting place for Spanish galleons, but was now 
a base for the United States Navy. In Balboa 
Park at San Diego they visited the Archaeologi¬ 
cal Institute with its exhibits of ancient American 
art, architecture, and anthropology. They also 



THE GOLDEN STATE 


299 



Los Angeles County Chamber of Commerce 

A CALIFORNIA ORANGE GROVE 

spent some time in the Natural History Museum. 

During their California visit Peter and Nancy 
heard much of Imperial Valley, a great area 
Avhich produced quantities of lettuce, asparagus, 
onions, melons, grapes, oranges, and other vege¬ 
tables and fruits, as well as an excellent quality 
of long-staple cotton. They learned that irriga¬ 
tion water for this area was brought from the 
Colorado River in Arizona. Without water Im¬ 
perial Valley would have been a barren desert. 
But with water it was a region of prosperity. 






GLORIOUS DESERTS 


P ETER and Nancy were delighted when Uncle 
Lee told them of Jimmy Dustin’s plan to 
show them Sequoia National Park and Yosemite 
National Park from the air. 

They had heard much of the great trees which 
had grown to an almost unbelievable size and 
they could hardly wait to see them. 

Jimmy flew as low as he dared over Sequoia 
National Park so that Peter and Nancy might 
see California’s big trees, the giant sequoias. 
Some of the big trees, they were told, were more 
than thirty feet in diameter and over three hun¬ 
dred feet in height. They were between one 
thousand and three thousand years old. 

''The big trees,” said Uncle Lee, "are the oldest 
living things on earth. Thousands of these trees 
were here when Christ was born.” 

Yosemite National Park, lying west of the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains in the middle eastern 
part of California, consisted, as could be seen 
from Jimmy Dustin’s airplane, of a valley seven 
or eight miles long and less than a mile wide— 
the famed Yosemite Valley—and miles and miles 
of surrounding wilderness, a wilderness of en¬ 
chanting beauty. 


300 



THE GIANT SEQUOIAS 







302 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Jimmy flew low to give the MacLarens a view 
of the valley. Steep precipices rose from the 
level floor, and numerous waterfalls fell from 
great heights into the lovely greenery and flowers. 

Soon the wonders of Yosemite were left be¬ 
hind. Later in the afternoon the MacLarens 
looked down upon the desert country of southern 
Nevada and the town of Tonopah, once a well- 
known gold and silver town where water had 
sold for a dollar a barrel. Now, with water from 
its own wells, a railroad, and a mill to handle 
raw ore, many of its problems seemed to be solved. 

Jimmy flew north over the Humboldt River, 
which he said was the most important stream in 
the Great Basin region. 

^Jt’s not an attractive river,’’ Jimmy said 
when he saw how silent Peter and Nancy were, 
''but it’s a rather valiant little stream. It flows 
three hundred miles through desert country, only 
to lose itself in Humboldt Lake.” 

"The water is very unpleasant,” Uncle Lee in¬ 
formed Peter and Nancy. "It is salty and bitter.” 

It seemed strange to see a river without trees 
or grass on its banks. Certainly Nevada was 
not a farming country. Uncle Lee said, in fact, 
that Nevada had fewer farms than any other 
state in the Union. However, he declared that 
irrigation projects were under way and no one 
could foretell the future. 



GLORIOUS DESERTS 


303 



TROUT FISHING NEAR YOSEMITE FALLS 


“What’s the land good for?” Nancy inquired. 
“Minerals,” Uncle Lee answered promptly. 
“Gold, silver, copper, lead! And there are borax. 




304 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


gypsum, and sulphur, too! The climate and 
topography are not very different from Imperial 
Valley in California, and irrigation has worked 
wonders there.” 

“Carson City’s the capital,” Peter said. “I’d 
like to see it.” 

Flying back toward the mountains Peter and 
Nancy saw a good many cattle in the sagebrush 
country. They remembered now that Nevada 
was called the “Sagebrush State.” Uncle Lee 
said that it was as often called the “Silver State,” 
because it was one of the leading states in the 
mining of silver. Carson City was not very 
large, but it was attractive. Near by were hot 
springs and to the west Lake Tahoe, one-third 
of it in Nevada and two-thirds in California. 
Nancy thought it one of the most beautiful lakes 
in the world, blue and clear and surrounded by 
green mountains. 

Reno, where the little party eventually arrived 
for an overnight stay, was the largest city in 
Nevada. Uncle Lee told the children that it 
was the financial, educational, and professional 
center of the state. It had a fine climate, delight¬ 
ful mountain scenery, and good water. The 
fashionable hotels were filled with gay, well- 
dressed people. 

“Nevada is an unusual state,” Uncle Lee mused. 
“There’s not another state in the Union that’s so 



GLORIOUS DESERTS 


305 


sparsely settled. After visiting the densely popu¬ 
lated New England States, it seems a little 
strange to be in a state where there is only about 
one person to the square mile.” 

Utah, the “Beehive State,” proved true to its 
name. Surely it must have taken people as busy 
as bees to make a place of beauty out of a desert. 
The Mormons who settled Utah had been coura¬ 
geous persons who had stopped at no amount 
of work in order to write success for their state. 

As Jimmy flew over the desert, Peter and 
Nancy were most impressed by the blaze of color 
and by the strange rock formations. Erosion by 
wind, rain, and water had worn away the vari¬ 
colored rocks, leaving arched pinnacles, mush¬ 
room shapes, and fairy castles. But the colors, 
red, orange, yellow, and even purple, changed 
and shifted with the changing light. Sometimes 
the children saw rocks that looked like phantom 
castles, and sometimes a strange-looking flgure 
rose up near a queer animal. A rose-colored 
bridge that seemed as fairy-like as though it 
were made of a pink cloud, appeared below with 
a train of horses crossing over it. Uncle Lee 
said the riders might be geologists, or perhaps 
travelers like Peter and Nancy themselves. 

At Bingham Canyon, just a short distance 
from Salt Lake City, Jimmy pointed down to an 
open-cut copper mine. It was the most gigantic 



306 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


open-pit mine Peter and Nancy had ever seen. 
An entire mountain of copper had been removed, 
leaving a great pit, like an amphitheater. Jimmy 
said that as much as 75,000 tons of ore and 
67,000 tons of waste had been removed in a single 
day. 

Jimmy brought his plane down at the busy air¬ 
port in Salt Lake City where transport planes 
took off on regular schedules east and west. 

The city was almost circled by snow-capped 
mountains of what Jimmy said was the Wasatch 
Range. Near by was Great Salt Lake. Peter 
and Nancy were so impatient to try bathing in 
it that Jimmy agreed to take them for a plunge 
while Uncle Lee attended to some business. 
Jimmy warned his charges not to laugh and swal¬ 
low the bitter water, and they tried to heed his 
warning. For more than an hour they bobbed 
about with other visitors, unable to sink. But 
Nancy said she could taste Great Salt Lake even 
after she was bathed and dressed. 

“I didn’t see any fishermen on the lake,” she 
remarked when the three met again. 

“The water is too salty for fish. Only brine 
shrimp can live in it,” Jimmy explained. “The 
water gets saltier and saltier.” 

The streets up which Peter and Nancy walked 
with Jimmy on their way to Memory Park were 
very wide, and the blocks were surprisingly long. 



GLORIOUS DESERTS 


307 



Ewing Galloway 

SOUTH TEMPLE STREET IN SALT LAKE CITY 

Jimmy explained that this lovely park had been 
created in honor of the veterans of the World 
War. 

“Is this City Creek?” questioned Nancy, as 
they came near the park’s little stream. 

“You’re right!” Jimmy pronounced. “This is 
City Creek. It’s the little stream of pure water 
that made Salt Lake City possible. It is allowed 
to flow on its merry way as a reminder that 
pioneers may achieve if they keep their faith.” 







308 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

MORMON TEMPLE AND TABERNACLE 


Uncle Lee had registered at a fine modern 
hotel near Temple Square. The following morn¬ 
ing, after a late breakfast, he took Peter and 
Nancy on a stroll to see the famous walled park 
of ten acres. In the midst of flowery, tree- 
shaded lawns stood the Mormon Temple and the 
Tabernacle. The handsome Temple was not open 
to visitors, but Uncle Lee secured a guide to 
show his little party through the Tabernacle. 

This great building, capable of seating eight 














GLORIOUS DESERTS 


309 


thousand people, was unusual. The roof was an 
oval dome upheld by sandstone buttresses. 

“The architect who designed the Tabernacle,” 
Uncle Lee said, “was a bridgebuilder. He knew 
how to put struts and timbers together, and in 
this case he used pegs and rawhide thongs. 
Metal hardware was not available.” 

The guide spoke proudly of the great organ 
with more than five thousand pipes. 

At noon a fine concert was played on the 
famous organ, and the MacLarens thought of 
how much these people who had come in covered 
wagons to a desert had accomplished. 

After the concert they lingered on the grounds 
to look at the Temple. 

“It took forty years to build it,” the guide 
said. “And it was constructed of granite quar¬ 
ried about twenty miles away.” 

In the Temple Square, sheltered by a portico, 
stood a little log cabin with a couple of old wagon 
wheels nailed to an end wall. This was the 
first house in Utah. Driving through the streets 
later and seeing many mansions, the travelers 
thought the little house all the more appealing. 
Now a busy city with many factories. Salt Lake 
City impressed Peter and Nancy as being entirely 
modern. The fine airport was taken as a matter 
of course. 

“Arizona, the ‘Apache State’!” Peter announced 



310 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


as the plane droned on southward from Salt Lake 
City. “More desert country, of course!” 

“In a way, yes,” Uncle Lee agreed. “But it is 
magnificent desert. And remember that Arizona 
is conquering that desert. Near Phoenix you’ll 
see groves of grapefruit, oranges, lemons, and 
tangerines as fine as any in the country. Long- 
staple cotton is being grown there, too. A great 
pine belt lies in northern Arizona. Miami and 
Bisbee have big copper mines. And Arizona has 
quite a cattle industry. Beef cattle are driven 
into the state from the south to be fattened for 
United States markets.” 

A little later, Nancy breathed a joyful sigh 
as she said, “Peter, I believe it is—I know it is— 
the Grand Canyon of the Colorado!” 

Peter and Nancy had seen many pictures of 
the Grand Canyon, but the pictures had not pre¬ 
pared them for the astounding beauty of its 
color and its rock formations. A mile deep and 
ranging from four to eighteen miles in width 
and over two hundred miles long, this great 
V-shaped valley, cut by the Colorado River like 
a great ribbon, was easily the most inspiring 
sight nature could offer. Rocks of pink, red, 
yellow, gray, and white had been carved by the 
rain and wind into monuments of beauty and 
charm. Pillars, towers, peaks! 

“Now that we have seen Grand Canyon, one of 



GLORIOUS DESERTS 


ill 



THE GRAND CANYON OP THE COLORADO 


the greatest works of nature,” Uncle Lee in¬ 
formed Peter and Nancy, “Jimmy is going to fly 
us back into a corner of Nevada so that we can 
see one of the greatest engineering achievements 
of man.” 

“Boulder Dam!” Peter shouted. 

“Maybe,” said Nancy. “But look at the gor- 





312 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 


BOULDER DAM 


geously colored plateaus and the low mesas below 
us. This must be the Painted Desert!’’ 

Uncle Lee assured Nancy that she was right. 

Soon they were flying over gigantic Boulder 
Dam. Peter and Nancy were amazed at its size. 

‘^Only large figures could be used in describing 
Boulder Dam,” said Uncle Lee. ‘The Dam rises 
727 feet above bedrock. Its crest is nearly a 
quarter mile long. It is 45 feet wide at the top 
and 660 feet at the bottom.” 




GLORIOUS DESERTS 


313 


“What a lot of cement it must have taken,” 
said Peter. 

“Over five million barrels were used in making 
the dam and powerhouse,” said Uncle Lee. 

“That’s many barrels!” exclaimed Nancy. 

“Boulder Dam means much to the people liv¬ 
ing in the Southwest,” Uncle Lee explained as 
the plane headed toward Phoenix. “It will pro¬ 
vide irrigation water for millions of people. And, 
by the way, you might be interested in knowing 
that the Imperial Valley, of which we heard so 
much while we were in California, depends upon 
Boulder Dam for protection from floods, as well 
as from water shortage.” 

Phoenix was reached after Jimmy flew over 
the Roosevelt Dam. The green valley with its 
many citrus farms looked like a jade setting in a 
ring of golden sand. What a place for a capital! 
Phoenix was progressive, with up-to-date shops 
and palm-shaded residence streets. The sun 
shone on brilliant flower gardens and tennis courts 
and polo fields and golf links. Everybody seemed 
to be playing. 

The MacLarens visited the Indian school, the 
Yaqui Indian village, the giant cactus forest, and 
Hieroglyphic Canyon with its picture messages. 
And they climbed Apache Trail on horseback to 
see the Tonto cliff dwellings. 

“Roosevelt Dam is about five miles beyond here,” 



314 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

GIANT CACTI IN ARIZONA 


Uncle Lee informed Peter. ‘^Jimmy pointed it 
out to you from the plane.’’ 

The airport at Phoenix was a very busy place 
when the Dustin plane took off for Tucson. 

Tucson was hemmed in by mountains, a beauti¬ 
ful, vivid city, bright with sunshine. The Mac- 
Larens visited a fine desert sahatorium several 
miles from town to call on a friend of Uncle Lee’s. 

‘The desert country means health for many,” 
the friend declared. 

“It means beauty, too,” Nancy said. 

“And prosperity,” Peter added. 







A LONG PLATEAU 


N ew MEXICO, the ^'Sunshine State,’’ lay in 
glaring yellow light beneath the speeding 
plane as Jimmy Dustin flew the MacLarens on 
to Santa Fe, the oldest seat of government in 
the United States. 

‘Tf New Mexico had more rainfall, I dare say 
cotton would be king,” Jimmy remarked. “There 
is surely plenty of sunshine. It’s the scarcity 
of water that keeps New Mexico from being 
more densely settled. But irrigation projects 
may change the whole appearance of the state. 
Where cactus and sagebrush now grow, irri¬ 
gated fields may produce vegetables, melons, 
and even fine peaches.” 

“And there’s another use for the great reser¬ 
voirs that are being built,” Uncle Lee added. 
“The force of water confined in them can be used 
to generate electric power.” 

“Cattle are important to New Mexico, aren’t 
they?” Nancy questioned. 

“Indeed, so,” replied Uncle Lee. “There are 
many large cattle ranches. And sheep are raised 
in all parts of the state; consequently a great 
deal of wool is produced.” 

“How about mineral production?” Peter asked. 


315 


316 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


^‘Copper and coal are mined in great quanti¬ 
ties/’ Uncle Lee answered. ^^Gold, silver, lead, 
and zinc are produced, too. Also, New Mexico 
has a large amount of beautiful stone which is 
suitable for building.” 

Sante Fe, the capital city of New Mexico, was 
different in atmosphere from any other city 
Peter and Nancy had thus far visited in the 
United States. There were many adobe buildings 
which were representative of Mexican and Span¬ 
ish architecture. The Governor’s Palace, with 
its massive, long, low walls, was more than three 
hundred years old. Certain parts of the wall had 
led many people to believe that the Palace was 
built on the site of a very early Indian structure, 
and that some of the old Indian walls may have 
been used in the new building. On the streets 
Peter and Nancy saw many of the Indians whose 
ancestors must have dwelt in the land long 
before the coming of the white man. In the 
quaint shops there were fine exhibits of Indian 
handiwork, silver jewelry, delicate lace, colorful 
blankets, and artfully woven baskets. 

The Plaza, the State Capitol, the Scottish Rite 
Temple, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the 
Government Indian School all reflected the sunny 
beauty of Sante Fe. Although set in a desert, the 
altitude of almost seven thousand feet insured a 
delightful climate. The city was a haven for 



A LONG PLATEAU 


317 



James Sawders 

THE OLD GOVERNOR’S PALACE 

vacationists from the north. Near by were fine 
ranches, and in the mountains there was some 
lumbering and a good deal of mining. 

The MacLarens visited one of the Indian pueb¬ 
los near the city. They were told that pueblo 
meant “village.” Peter said that the dwellings of 
many stories reminded him of apartment houses. 

“But I doubt if most apartment-house dwellers 
would care to use ladders as the Indians do, to 
enter their homes,” Uncle Lee remarked, his blue 
eyes tv/inkling. 



318 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

A THREE-STORY INDIAN PUEBLO 


The Pueblo Indians were very courteous. Many 
of them spoke English. Nancy could hardly be 
drawn away from one of the Indian women who 
was showing her some pottery she had made. 
Each village had its own special clay, color, and 
design for its pottery. 

Peter and Uncle Lee spent some time watching 
an Indian woman baking bread in a beehive oven. 
Uncle Lee said that these ovens were called bee¬ 
hive ovens because of their shape. 








A LONG PLATEAU 


319 



James Sawders 

BAKING BREAD IN A BEEHIVE OVEN 

Albuquerque was truly beautiful with its tree- 
shaded streets and lovely gardens. The church 
of San Felipe, weathered and ancient, still stood 
much as the Franciscan fathers had built it. 
There were fine modern buildings, too, a govern¬ 
ment school for Indians and the University of 
New Mexico. 

Albuquerque, the MacLarens observed, was the 
center of the Pueblo Indian country and the com¬ 
mercial center for the trade of the Indian pueb¬ 
los. A few miles south lay Isleta, a pueblo of 
about a thousand Indians whose ancestors had 
lived there in 1540 when the Spaniards arrived. 




320 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Nancy watched the Isleta women making pottery, 
while Peter watched the men working in their 
gardens and tending their sheep. 

As they flew over Las Vegas, Peter and Nancy 
could see that it was located in a region of beauty 
with rolling hills where sheep grazed contentedly. 
Uncle Lee said that this city was an important 
wool market. 

The most surprising and unusual of all their 
discoveries in New Mexico were Carlsbad Caverns. 
They were located in the Guadalupe Mountains 
about twenty miles from Carlsbad. All along the 
desert road over which the adventurers went there 
grew desert plants, prickly pears, melon cactus, 
Spanish daggers, Spanish bayonets, and century 
plants, many forming beautiful rosettes, others 
in exquisite bloom. 

“Tell us about Carlsbad Caverns, Uncle Lee,” 
Peter said as they rode toward that famous 
National Park. “How were they discovered? 
How were they formed? What shall we see 
there?” 

“To answer your first question,” Uncle Lee 
replied, “it was the curiosity of a Texas cowboy, 
Jim White, which led to the discovery of Carls¬ 
bad Caverns. One evening he observed a dark 
smoke-like column rising from a hole in the 
ground. Investigating, he found that a great 
number of bats were emerging from the dark- 



A LONG PLATEAU 


321 



Ewing Galloway 

CARLSBAD CAVERNS 

ness of a cave. This bat spectacle is one of the 
great attractions of Carlsbad Caverns National 
Park. They leave the cavern at dusk and return 
the following dawn. It has been estimated that 
in one night three million bats consume more 
than eleven tons of night-flying insects. Of course, 
the corridor occupied by the bats is not open to 
visitors.” 

“How were the Caverns formed?” Peter re¬ 
peated his second question. 





322 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


^The great openings were made by water per¬ 
colating through limestone which was formed 
millions of years ago/’ said Uncle Lee. ^‘And, 
before you again ask what we shall see at Carls¬ 
bad Caverns, let me say that in a short time you 
will find out for yourselves.” 

The caverns which were open to visitors had 
been lighted, and the United States Government 
had built trails and had provided guides so that 
visitors might enjoy these wonders of nature in 
safety. 

Upon entering the great caverns, Peter and 
Nancy felt as if they had been suddenly trans¬ 
ported to a fairyland even more beautiful than 
the one described in books, so exquisite were 
the limestone formations which they beheld. In 
some places great onyx walls rose to incredible 
heights. In other places the formations had the 
appearance of coral. There were formations called 
stalactites which resembled icicles and hung from 
the roof or sides of the caverns. From the floor 
rose great stalagmites which had been formed 
from the drippings above. These looked like huge 
icicles turned point up. Some big stalagmites were 
high humps of marble, of pure, shining smooth¬ 
ness, while others looked like ragged ghosts. 

No one, the guide said, knew how many rooms 
there were in Carlsbad Caverns or how they 
were arranged. 



A LONG PLATEAU 


323 


The MacLarens had lunch in a huge under¬ 
ground cafeteria. Then they walked along more 
of the government-built trails to see more of 
nature’s sculpturing. 

At the end of the trip they were glad for the 
elevator which returned them to the surface, 
for, as Nancy said, everyone seemed a little tired. 

Leaving New Mexico behind, Jimmy Dustin’s 
plane winged northward carrying the MacLarens. 

In Colorado, the “Centennial State,” Peter and 
Nancy saw much of dry farming, which depended 
upon weather conditions, and of irrigation farm¬ 
ing, which could call upon water supply at will. 
The MacLarens had often heard of mining in 
Colorado, and, wide-eyed, Peter and Nancy had 
listened to tales of the early discoveries of silver 
and gold. They were prepared for the wonder¬ 
ful mountain scenery, for Colorado Springs, the 
Garden of the Gods, the Cave of the Winds, and 
the Royal Gorge. 

Peter and Nancy had heard of Denver, too, and 
impatiently they waited for Jimmy to set them 
down at the fine big airport. 

Once settled in the city they could walk out and 
see snow-capped Pikes Peak which. Uncle Lee 
said, was only about seventy-five miles away. 
They would have liked to climb the Peak, riding 
through the evergreen forest for a little way and 
then continuing the climb on foot. But Uncle 



324 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 


RAILWAY TO TOP OF PIKES PEAK 

Lee could not spare the time—not even to take 
the cogwheel railroad to the summit. 

From all parts of the state everything, from 
onions, tomatoes, cantaloupes, and sugar beets 
to cattle and sheep, poured into Denver. And 
some of the best peaches in the world came from 
the valley of the Colorado River! 

Denver, the ^^Mile-High City,’’ at the foot of 
the Rockies, was. Uncle Lee said, a fine health 
resort. The air was dry and zestful. Walking 
along the street past modern shops and office 
buildings. Uncle Lee spoke of the fertile valley of 




A LONG PLATEAU 


325 


the Platte River north of Denver. It was once a 
sandy waste, but had been made fertile by irriga¬ 
tion. To the east lay the great American plains 
with their grazing cattle and sheep. Denver, he 
added, was also an important supply center for 
the metal- and coal-producing regions. And there 
were convenient smelters close at hand. 

The Capitol was a handsome building of Colo¬ 
rado granite. The State Historical Museum had 
a varied collection of pioneer mementoes. Then 
there was the United States Mint, a most im¬ 
pressive structure. 

But the MacLarens thought the Municipal 
Building in Denver’s famous Civic Center was 
the most beautiful of all. Peter was interested 
in one of the statues which stood on the grounds 
of this lovely granite building—a statue of a 
bucking bronco. 

There was time for only one long drive, out 
to Estes Park at the entrance to Rocky Mountain 
National Park. 

When they returned to their hotel, Jimmy was 
waiting for them. The plane was ready for the 
take-olf into Wyoming. Jimmy said they could 
be in Cheyenne in time for dinner. 

In Wyoming, the “Equality State,” the plane 
flew over miles and miles of rolling prairie land 
already brown from the summer sun. There 
were many cattle and sheep grazing, and Uncle 



326 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

DENVER’S BEAUTIFUL MUNICIPAL BUILDING 

Lee said the short brown grass was nourishing. 
Dude ranches with riding horses in the corrals 
appeared in striking contrast to some of the 
small rambling ranch buildings they saw. Once 
Peter and Nancy saw a herd of wild horses on 
top of a mesa. 

Cheyenne, the capital city of Wyoming, seemed 
very flat from the air. Actually it was situated 
on a rolling plain. The airport, with its spacious 
landing field and its fine hangars, impressed 
Jimmy, for here was the latest equipment in 













A LONG PLATEAU 


327 



James Sawders 

A WYOMING CATTLE RANCH AND CHUCK WAGON 


aviation. Jimmy said it was one of the finest 
fields he had ever landed on. 

“Frontier Days,” a western festival, was being 
given for three days, and Cheyenne was in gala 
attire for the great rodeo. The streets were 
brightly lighted as though for the Christmas holi¬ 
days, and the hotels were crowded with ranchers 
in “ten-gallon” hats, riders in cowboy outfits, 
and visitors from all over the United States and 
Canada. In the morning there was a parade of 









328 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


pioneer floats, bands, old fiddlers, and riders, 
followed by the Black Horse Battalion of the 
Fort Russell Military Maneuver Reserve. Peter 
and Nancy, who loved parades, were often saluted 
by cowboys who saw what a thrill they were 
giving their visitors. 

From the grandstand, on the afternoon fol¬ 
lowing the parade, Peter and Nancy watched the 
bronco busting, fancy riding, bulldozing, and 
Indian dances. Peter got excited every time the 
door of a pen swung open and the cowboys 
shouted, ‘^Let^er buck!’^ Both he and Nancy 
thrilled to the bravery of the western riders. 
They learned that many a ranch was started with 
prize money won at a rodeo. 

Uncle Lee said that ^Trontier Days^^ stood for 
the high courage which had played such an im¬ 
portant part in the development of the West. 



THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


J IMMY said, “I’m going to land you people 
in one of the most beautiful cities in the 
biggest state in the Union.” 

Without hesitation, Peter and Nancy shouted, 
“San Antonio, Texas!” 

On the long hop from Cheyenne, Wyoming, 
Uncle Lee told many entertaining stories of the 
Texas that once was wild and tough. It had to 
be tough to exist and to defend itself. 

Now, he declared, that same Texas raised about 
a fifth of the world’s supply of cotton. The once 
muddy streets of Dallas now boasted skyscrapers, 
and Houston, where men once gladly slept in 
shanties, now offered perfect service in its modern 
hotels. Buffalo Bayou, once a muddy hole, now 
welcomed foreign ships into its deeply dredged 
canal. 

Peter looked down on rolling, grassy plains 
where long-horned cattle once grazed and cow¬ 
boys rode herd. The sky, so blue and so high, and 
the distant hills, overhung with purple mist, 
presented a beautiful sight. 

Nancy exclaimed, “Oh, the lovely colorings!” 
“Texas was meant to be the country’s cow 
pasture,” Uncle Lee said. “The tableland of 

329 


330 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 


HEREFORD CATTLE ON A TEXAS RANCH 

Texas has grass, water, and good climate. What 
more could cattle want? The only unproductive 
places in Texas are the high, dry places in the 
western part of the state. There you’ll find 
plain desert—and I mean plain. 

“But don’t misunderstand me,” Uncle Lee con¬ 
tinued. “Although the abundance of grazing 
land makes cattle and sheep raising important, 
these are not the only industries for which the 
state is noted. Texas is the leading cotton-grow¬ 
ing state. Cotton represents more than half of 



THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


331 


the crop value. Great quantities of petroleum, 
natural gas, coal, and sulphur are produced, also. 
And excellent citrus fruits are raised in the 
^Magic Valley’ of the Lower Rio Grande.” 

Jimmy brought the plane down at San Antonio. 
Uncle Lee observed that the children would see 
both the old and the new in San Antonio. The 
^Xone Star State” had much to offer historically 
as well as commercially. 

As soon as the little party landed they drove to 
town. Across from a handsome square rose a 
fine office building. Near by stood the San Fer¬ 
nando Cathedral which once had served as head¬ 
quarters for General Santa Anna who marched 
on the Alamo in March, 1836. 

Peter and Nancy begged to see the Alamo at 
once, and Jimmy agreed to escort them to this 
Texas shrine. Every school child in Texas knew 
about the Alamo, said Jimmy. 

The battered old building with the ornate 
entrance had seen much bloodshed. It had been 
built during the eighteenth century by the Fran¬ 
ciscan monks, who doubtless thought of it as a 
place of peace. 

Here, behind its stout walls, Davy Crockett, 
James Bowie, Bill Travis and about 180 others 
made their last stand against the Mexican gen¬ 
eral, Santa Anna, who commanded about four 
thousand men. The garrison held out until its 



332 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



last man was gone. When the Texans heard of 
the unfailing courage of the little band, the words 
“Remember the Alamo” became a battle cry 
against the Mexicans. 

Peter and Nancy went into the Alamo to look 
at the old weapons, relics, and documents that 
told the history of the valiant Texans. Six flags 
had flown over the gray walls of the Alamo. 

“If you youngsters are so interested in mis¬ 
sions,” Jimmy remarked, “you should see San 
Jose. I can take you out there right now.” 


THE ALAMO 


Ewing Galloway 




THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


333 


Peter and Nancy were amazed at what they 
saw at San Jose. They stared in wonder at the 
beautifully carved windows of the mission. Once 
inside they marveled at the carved statues and 
paintings that the King of Spain had sent as gifts. 

“Although San Jose is over two hundred years 
old,” Jimmy said, “it is still used as a chapel.” 

On the morning following the visit to San 
Jose, Uncle Lee took Peter and Nancy on a tour 
of San Antonio. 

Uncle Lee said there were fifty-six parks and 
plazas, but he liked Brackenridge Park best. 
It contained sunken gardens and a lily pond. 
Peter and Nancy were most interested in the 
San Antonio River which ran through the heart 
of the city. This river and its palms and land¬ 
scaped banks added much to the beauty of San 
Antonio. 

The Mexican section was colorful but not so 
clean and beautiful as the main city. It was 
fun to watch the cooking and the trading in the 
open. Nancy could not resist the hand-decorated 
pottery or the pralines so full of Texas pecans. 
Peter tried the chili and bought preserved pump¬ 
kin and stick candy to take back to the hotel. 

Because he could not possibly show them all of 
Texas, our largest state, in the time which he 
had. Uncle Lee invited them into a cool lounge, 
ordered lemonade for them, and proceeded to tell 



334 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

SAN ANTONIO RIVER FLOWS THROUGH THE CITY 

them about some of the cities. Jimmy wandered 
in and remarked that Uncle Lee’s method was a 
lazy way to travel. 

But Uncle Lee seemed satisfied. He described 
Austin, the capital of Texas and the home of the 
state university. The great Capitol built of red 
Texas granite, he said, was erected by Chicago 
capitalists in 1882-88 for a consideration of 
three million acres of Texas public land. After 
another lemonade he told of El Paso, situated in 
the fertile Rio Grande Valley, at the foot of 




THE CAPITOL AT AUSTIN 








336 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

CITY OF EL PASO AND MOUNT FRANKLIN 

Mount Franklin. Uncle Lee said it was the 
largest city on the Mexican border. It was a tour¬ 
ist center, too, and important for manufacturing. 

^‘Here,’^ said Uncle Lee, ^‘is sent the copper, 
lead, silver, and gold ore from the near-by moun¬ 
tains of Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico for 
refining. Opposite the city, across the Rio Grande 
River, is the Mexican town of Juarez, with which 
El Paso is connected by two international bridges 
and an electric railway.” 

Then he asked, ^‘Do you know which Texas 
town is the Tort of Quickest Dispatch^?” 

“Galveston!” Jimmy answered. “There^s a two- 




THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


337 



James Sawders 


HOUSTON’S SHIP CANAL 

billion-dollar causeway there for loading and un¬ 
loading vessels, and, believe me, they certainly 
come in from all countries. The south side of 
the city, on the gulf, is protected by a great sea 
wall. This sea wall is seventeen feet high and 
seven and a half miles long. Galveston has a 
fine bathing beach, and oh, what sea food! 

“Houston isn’t so far behind, either, with its 
twenty-million-dollar canal through which ocean 
freighters come up to the docks and take on loads 
of cotton and other products. Peter and Nancy 
should see Beaumont’s oil fields and pine and 
cypress forests. 







338 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

THE CITY OF DALLAS 


“And they should see Port Arthur. IPs the 
center of one of the greatest groups of oil refiner¬ 
ies in the country. Each year over two thousand 
ocean-going ships pass through the Port Arthur 
ship canal to load the products of these refineries. 
And, although you seldom think of Texas as being 
important for furs, Jefferson County, in which 
Port Arthur is located, produces furs which bring 
higher prices than many of the northern pelts.’' 

“And, speaking of important cities,” inter- 








THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


339 



iiJWing Gtatiuwuy 

THE STOCKYARDS AT FORT WORTH 


rupted Uncle Lee, “there’s Dallas, one of the 
largest inland cotton markets, you know, and a 
financial and commercial center. The wholesale 
business thrives in Dallas. There are at least 
five hundred wholesale houses in the city. 

“And don’t forget Fort Worth! It’s a great 
railway center of the Southwest and is important 
for its livestock and meat-packing industry. It’s 
a leading grain market, too.” 

“Where are we going next?” questioned Peter. 




340 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


perfectly contented here/’ Uncle Lee de¬ 
cided. need a rest and some relaxation.” 

^^You’ll be just as contented in Arkansas,” 
Jimmy promised. ‘^Let’s take Uncle Lee to Hot 
Springs in the 'Wonder State’ for a week end so 
that he can relax.” 

"Let’s!” Peter and Nancy agreed. "He needs 
a rest.” 

The flight over Arkansas was pure delight. 
Uncle Lee had already told Peter and Nancy 
that the interior highlands of Arkansas were not 
just so much scenery, but that bauxite, of which 
aluminum is made, came from there. No need 
to remind them that Arkansas was a cotton state, 
too. They could see the workers in the cotton 
fields, and the plantation houses. In several places 
they looked down on rice fields. In the beauti¬ 
ful valley of the Arkansas River and on the Ozark 
Plateau they saw much livestock, fine horses and 
mules and some beef cattle, as well as dairy 
cows. Peter discovered a melon patch or two, 
and Jimmy told him that just the year before 
he had seen a melon weighing around 145 pounds! 

"Believe it or not,” Jimmy added, "Arkansas 
has the only known diamond field in North 
America, and she produces more whetstones than 
any other state. There are oil fields at Smack- 
over, and plenty of natural gas.” 

The Hot Springs hotel was like a glorious 



THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


341 


sanatorium. The healing baths were scarcely 
needed by the robust MacLarens and the tireless 
Jimmy Dustin. But, as Jimmy said, they were 
willing to try anything once. For all their joking 
they found the baths taken in the hot mineral 
springs in a government-supervised bathhouse 
really restful and invigorating. The natural hot 
springs did Uncle Lee so much good that he left 
his easy chair and went fishing, to bring back a 
mess of big-mouth bass. 

The MacLarens spent one afternoon in Little 
Rock. They visited the lovely domed Capitol 
which was built of Arkansas marble. It stood 
in a twelve-acre park. Uncle Lee rented a car 
and drove Peter and Nancy through the business 
and residential sections of the city. He especially 
wanted them to see the fine state institutions, 
as well as the fairgrounds and some of the ex¬ 
cellent schools located in the city. 

“Oklahoma, the ‘Sooner State,’ is calling,” 
Jimmy announced. 

“Why is it called the ‘Sooner State’?” Nancy 
inquired of Jimmy. 

“Because much of the best land in Oklahoma 
was taken by ‘sooner’ people who rushed in before 
the time set for the territory to be opened for 
settlement,” Jimmy explained. “It’s a great state 
—lead and zinc mines and oil! But the livestock 
industry is important, too, and, incidentally, the 



342 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



James Sawders 

OIL WELLS ON THE CAPITOL GROUNDS 

raising of turkeys. It’s a queer state that can 
grow both cotton and wheat, but Oklahoma does 
it. And there’s no lack of fruit—^from berries 
to apples.” 

“How about Indians?” Nancy inquired. 
“Largest Indian reservation in the United 
States is located there,” Jimmy answered. “About 
a third of our red men live there. I’m going to 
show you both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.” 

The city of Tulsa was a surprise to Peter and 






















THE AMAZING SOUTHWEST 


345 


Nancy even though they had been told that oil 
could build a city overnight. 

“In 1900 Tulsa was only a village,” Uncle Lee 
said, as the plane circled over the city. “Now 
look at it!” 

They did look at it, at the big office buildings 
and the fine homes. Some of the downtown build¬ 
ings were ten and fifteen stories high. The “Oil 
Capital of America” was rapidly being beautified, 
too, with fine boulevards and flower gardens. 

The Dustin plane came down at Oklahoma 
City, the capital of the state, just after an out¬ 
law gusher had been capped. But it had sprayed 
oil for miles about and everything smelled of 
oil. Everything tasted of oil, too. Great der¬ 
ricks surrounded the city on all sides. There 
were derricks in front yards, and there were 
even some on the grounds of the State Capitol. 
They meant prosperity, and in the end they would 
mean beauty. 

Peter and Nancy caught the gay spirit of the 
town and their hearts were light. Oklahoma was 
a state where miracles could happen. 



HOMEWARD BOUND 


P ETER and Nancy knew there were two cities 
named Kansas City. There was Kansas 
City, Missouri, the larger of the two, and Kansas 
City, Kansas. Both were on the Missouri River. 

‘‘As we fly over Kansas,^’ Jimmy said, “you’ll 
understand why Kansas City is such an im¬ 
portant meat-packing center. And of course 
there are by-products of the meat industry, too, 
such as soap and hog serum.” 

Flying over oil flelds, model stock farms, meat¬ 
packing plants, and flour mills, it was hard to 
realize that in one lifetime the hardy pioneers 
had changed much seemingly worthless territory 
to a land of plenty. 

“Kansas produces more wheat than any other 
state,” Uncle Lee said. “Some 120,000,000 
bushels are produced in an average year.” 

“That wheat came from Russia, they say,” 
Jimmy mused. “The white-blossom clover came 
from Asia, and soybeans from Manchuria. At 
Hutchinson there is a mine that produces an 
enormous amount of salt. But going back to 
wheat, you can see that Kansas, being in the 
middle of the Great Plains wheat country, does its 
share of wheat raising.” 


344 


HOMEWARD BOUND 


345 



HARVESTING WHEAT ON A KANSAS FARM 

Wichita was a lively town. Many people con¬ 
nected with the meat industry lived there. And 
in one of the hotels, pictures of farm animals 
looked down from the lobby walls. The Mac- 
Larens enjoyed a fine steak dinner with Jimmy, 
who said steaks had to be good in Wichita be¬ 
cause the diners were excellent judges. These 
cowmen knew their beef. 

But Wichita was an air capital as well as a 
cow town. Aircraft manufacture, the hotel pro- 








346 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


prietor declared, was going forward rapidly. He 
added that Wichita was the largest broomcorn 
market of the world and also an important flour¬ 
milling center. 

One building attracted the MacLarens and 
Jimmy alike—the Wichita Art Museum. The 
idea of the architect had been to harmonize it 
with the Kansas plains, and it did harmonize, 
for it was flat-roofed and its color was a warm 
tan with touches of gay red in its decorations. 

Then there was the beautiful entrance to the 
North High School. The symbols—a sunflower, 
a plowboy, and an Indian, in colors—seemed to 
just fit the ‘‘Sunflower State.^’ Peter said he 
thought the big gray cement cylinders of the 
wheat elevator should come in the class of art, too. 

Jimmy did not fly to Fort Riley to see its Ogden 
Monument which marked the geographical center 
of the United States, nor did he take Peter and 
Nancy to Leavenworth to see the old fort and the 
United States Federal Prison. 

But he did stop at Topeka, the capital city. 
The name Topeka, he told Peter and Nancy, was 
an Indian name which meant “a good place to 
dig potatoes.^^ 

The Capitol, set in a shady park, was a very 
busy place. On the edge of the city were the 
State Fair grounds, which covered seventy-eight 
acres and had many exhibition buildings. 



HOMEWARD BOUND 


347 



Ewing Galloway 

NEBRASKA’S STATE CAPITOL 

On to Nebraska, the 'Tree Planters' State"! 
Jimmy pointed out places where the Oregon Trail 
had crossed. Peter and Nancy realized at once 
that they were in another agricultural state. 
There were cornfields, wheat fields, and oat fields. 
Huge piles of sugar beets stood in mounds along¬ 
side the roads, awaiting transportation. On the 
prairies, sleek cattle grazed. Many farms were 
dry farms, but many others had some irrigation. 

The MacLarens arrived at Lincoln. There was 
no question about its being the state capital, for 






348 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


even from the air the Capitol was a magnificent 
structure. Peter and Nancy had seen many state 
Capitols but none quite like this one. 

The site of the city had always been a favorite 
one with Indians and with early settlers. The 
buffalo had been attracted to it, too, because of 
the salt deposits. Every year the State Fair 
drew thousands to Lincoln. 

Here was the former home of William Jennings 
Bryan, Uncle Lee pointed out. Lincoln was also 
a shipping point for grain, and it had fiour mills 
and brick and tile works. 

The plane next landed at the fine Omaha air¬ 
port. As they reached the business section of the 
city the first words Nancy uttered were, “Oh, 
what a busy place!” Indeed, the business section 
seemed to dominate the city, for Omaha, Uncle 
Lee declared, had been for some time one of the 
nation’s greatest grain markets. The city was 
important as a livestock market and meat¬ 
packing center, too. And there were ten trunk 
lines of railway. 

Omaha loved beauty, too. There was a fine 
art collection in the Joslyn Memorial, and the 
educational institutions were beautifully situated. 

“Just across the Missouri River, on a plain 
nearly surrounded by bluffs, is Council Bluffs, 
an important Iowa city,” said Jimmy. 

The last long fiight before returning home took 



HOMEWARD BOUND 


349 



Jantes Sawders 

CONCRETE MONSTERS OVERLOOKING RAPID CITY 

the MacLarens into the Dakotas—first South 
Dakota and then North Dakota. Jimmy landed 
the plane in Rapid City, South Dakota, near the 
foothills. Peter and Nancy were interested in 
the prehistoric monsters of concrete which ap¬ 
peared to be standing guard over the city. Uncle 
Lee said that live monsters such as these once 
roamed through the region. 

The Black Hills, with their heavily wooded 
hillsides and their deep, plum-colored canyons. 





350 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


were more like mountains than hills. In fact, 
the highest point between the Rockies and the 
Atlantic Ocean, Uncle Lee said, was Harney 
Peak. On a picnic up in the hills Uncle Lee 
fished for speckled trout in a stream so cold and 
clear that it was like pure ice water. The Mac- 
Larens stayed overnight at a resort hotel on 
Sylvan Lake, up among the pines and the color¬ 
ful rocks. 

Rushmore Mountain attracted all of the party, 
for the scene that met their eyes was unforget¬ 
table. Gutzon Borglum, the world-famous sculp¬ 
tor, had carved gigantic heads of Washington, 
Lincoln, Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt across 
the top of the mountain for all men to see—now 
and a million years hence. 

The finding of gold, Peter and Nancy learned, 
had built Rapid City, and later the town became 
a shipping point for cattle brought in from the 
Wyoming and Montana ranges. 

“Rapid City is still a railroad town,” Uncle 
Lee said. “As you know, it has an airport, too. 
And there is a fine school of mines, for mining 
is still important in South Dakota.” 

“Uncle Lee’s right,” Jimmy agreed. “I’ve met 
many old miners in the hills. The mine at Lead 
is still being worked. It’s called the Homestake 
Mine, you know. And Deadwood near by has 
large stamp mills, smelters, and cyanide mills. 



HOMEWARD BOUND 


351 



Ewing Galloway 

GREAT MEN ON THE MOUNTAIN 

The MacLarens visited Wind Cave and took 
a horseback ride into the Bad Lands, which 
Peter said were not bad lands at all but colorful 
rocks in strange and beautiful formations. 

Flying out from Rapid City, Jimmy pointed 
out the Devil’s Tower, a queer, flat-shaped rock 
formation which rose high on the plain in the 
Wyoming portion of the Black Hills. The rock 
looked as though a giant bear had clambered up 
its sides and left his long scratches on it. 




352 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


Pierre, the capital city, lay in the center of 
the state. In its vicinity there were sites of old 
trading posts. Jimmy’s plane sailed over Pierre 
and later over Aberdeen, the second-largest city 
in the state. 

Over most of the Dakota lands lay scattered 
ranches where sheep or cattle grazed. There 
were great wheat fields, too, and as the plane flew 
into North Dakota the golden acres spread out 
like a vast yellow carpet. When the wind passed 
over the fields, the waves were like the waves of 
a golden sea. 

In the western part of the state, buffalo grass 
still remained, while the central part was carry¬ 
ing on farming of different kinds. In the famous 
Red River Valley, the North Dakota farmers 
raised not only wheat but fine fruits and vege¬ 
tables. 

“North Dakota is the second state in the Union 
in the production of honey,” Uncle Lee said. 
“And it’s one of the few places where bentonite, 
a sort of colored clay used in soapmaking, can 
be mined.” 

Bismarck, the capital, was surrounded by 
wheat fields, yellow and ready for harvest. The 
Capitol, Peter and Nancy were told, was the 
only skyscraper in North Dakota. It was located 
on a bluff overlooking the city of Bismarck and 
the valley of the Missouri River. On the Capitol 






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354 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 


grounds Peter and Nancy saw Theodore Roose¬ 
velt’s old ranch house which was built of logs. 
It had been transplanted there for sentimental 
reasons. 

Later the MacLarens landed at Grand Forks, 
located at the junction of the Red River and the 
Red Lake River. Peter and Nancy learned that 
Grand Forks was situated in the great wheat 
district of the Red River Valley, and that it 
was an important grain and flour market, as well 
as a distributing point for many other products. 

With home so close, Peter and Nancy were 
beginning to feel more homesick than they had 
felt at any time during the entire trip, but 
Jimmy crossed Minnesota to Duluth to see Lake 
Superior. 

“As though we needed to see water!” Nancy 
grumbled. “We live in a state of ten thousand 
lakes—not counting Superior, of course!” 

Duluth, on the western tip of Lake Superior, 
looked very important, rising to considerable 
height on its hills. It was a busy city. From 
the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges came great 
quantities of iron ore by rail, to be shipped by 
water to such cities as Milwaukee, Chicago, Gary, 
Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. From the Red 
River Valley and from Canada, wheat poured in. 
Peter and Nancy were interested in seeing how 
this wheat was transferred from the giant ele- 



HOMEWARD BOUND 


355 



Ewing Galloway 


LOADING A FREIGHTER WITH WHEAT 

vators to the freighters which carried it to eastern 
lake ports. Millions of feet of lumber and tons 
upon tons of coal were loaded from the docks for 
shipment to various points. 

The plane winged its way south over timber- 
lands and blue lakes and little towns, following 
the Mississippi down to St. Paul, the capital of 
Minnesota. From the air, Minneapolis and St. 
Paul merged into one city with two skylines 
which seemed like one. 














356 PETER AND NANCY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Ewing Galloway 

ST. PAUL PROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER 

Peter and Nancy recognized many of the build¬ 
ings over which they flew, for they had visited 
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota’s “Twin 
Cities,” many times. At Minneapolis, the largest 
city in the state, there were the Public Library, 
the City Hall, and the three-million-dollar Mu¬ 
nicipal Auditorium. At St. Paul, Peter and Nancy 
pointed out among other buildings, the beautiful 
Capitol, the Federal Building, Hill Memorial 
Library, and the Minnesota Historical Building. 






HOMEWARD BOUND 


357 


Jimmy brought the plane down at the landing 
field in St. Paul, and Peter and Nancy jumped 
down to run into the arms of their mother and 
father who had come to meet them. 

^The United States,^’ Peter cried, the most 
wonderful country in all the world. But home’s 
best!” 

‘‘Remember, home is in the United States,” 
Nancy said, laughingly. “And how glad we are 
that it is 1” 



STATES AND THEIR NICKNAMES 


Alabama 

Cotton State; Lizard State 

Arizona 

Apache; Sunset 

Arkansas 

Wonder; Bear; Bowie 

California 

Golden; Eldorado 

Colorado 

Centennial; Silver 

Connecticut 

Nutmeg; Constitution 

Delaware 

Diamond 

Florida 

Peninsula; Everglade; Land of 
Flowers 

Georgia 

Empire State of the South; 
Cracker; Buzzard 

Idaho 

Gem 

Illinois 

Prairie; Sucker 

Indiana 

Hoosier 

Iowa 

Hawkeye 

Kansas 

Sunflower; Jayhawk 

Kentucky 

Bluegrass; Corncracker 

Louisiana 

Pelican; Creole 

Maine 

Pine Tree; Old Dirigo 

Maryland 

Old Line; Cockade 

Massachusetts 

Bay; Old Colony 

Michigan 

Wolverine 

Minnesota 

Gopher; North Star 

Mississippi 

Magnolia; Bayou 

Missouri 

Show Me; Ozark 


358 


STATES AND THEIR NICKNAMES 


359 


Montana 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

New Hampshire 
New Jersey 
New Mexico 
New York 
North Carolina 
North Dakota 
Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon 

Pennsylvania 

Rhode Island 

South Carolina 

South Dakota 

Tennessee 

Texas 

Utah 

Vermont 

Virginia 

Washington 
West Virginia 
Wisconsin 
Wyoming 


Treasure; Bonanza 
Tree Planters’; Antelope; Black 
Water 

Sagebrush; Silver 

Granite 

Garden 

Sunshine; Spanish 
Empire; Excelsior 
Tar Heel; Turpentine 
Flickertail; Sioux 
Buckeye 
Sooner 

Beaver; Web-foot 
Keystone; Coal 
Little Rhody; Plantation 
Palmetto 
Coyote; Sunshine 
Volunteer; Hog-and-Hominy 
Lone Star 
Beehive; Mormon 
Green Mountain 
Mother of Presidents; Old 
Dominion 

Evergreen; Chinook 
Panhandle 
Badger; Copper 
Equality 



STATE FLOWERS 


Alabama 

Goldenrod 

Arizona 

Sahuaro Cactus 

Arkansas 

Apple Blossom 

California 

Golden Poppy 

Colorado 

Columbine 

Connecticut 

Mountain Laurel 

Delaware 

Peach Blossom 

Florida 

Orange Blossom 

Georgia 

Cherokee Rose 

Idaho 

Syringa 

Illinois 

Wood Violet 

Indiana 

Zinnia 

Iowa 

Wild Rose 

Kansas 

Sunflower 

Kentucky 

Goldenrod 

Louisiana 

Magnolia 

Maine 

Pine Cone and Tassel 

Maryland 

Black-eyed Susan 

Massachusetts 

Mayflower 

Michigan 

Apple Blossom 

Minnesota 

Cypripedium 


(moccasin flower) 

Mississippi 

Magnolia 

Missouri 

Hawthorn 

Montana 

Bitter Root 


360 


STATE FLOWERS 

361 

Nebraska 

Goldenrod 

Nevada 

Sagebrush 

New Hampshire 

Purple Lilac 

New Jersey 

Violet 

New Mexico 

Yucca 

New York 

Rose 

North Carolina 

Goldenrod or Oxeye Daisy 

North Dakota 

Wild Prairie Rose 

Ohio 

Scarlet Carnation 

Oklahoma 

Mistletoe 

Oregon 

Oregon Grape 

Pennsylvania 

Mountain Laurel 

Rhode Island 

Violet 

South Carolina 

Jessamine 

South Dakota 

Pasque 

Tennessee 

Iris 

Texas 

Bluebonnet 

Utah 

Sego Lily 

Vermont 

Bed Clover 

Virginia 

American Dogwood 

Washington 

Rhododendron 

West Virginia 

Rhododendron 

Wisconsin 

Violet 

Wyoming 

Indian Paintbrush 



INDEX 


Aberdeen, 352 
Akron, 184-186 
Alabama, 61, 63-64 
Alaska, 257-275 
Albany,128 
Albuquerque, 319 
Alert Bay, 275 
Allegheny River, 182 
Allentown, 110 
Altavista, 45 
Alton, 235 
Altoona, 110 
American Falls, 247 
Anaconda, 249 
Anna, 232 
Annapolis, 105-106 
Ann Arbor, 194 
Appalachian Mountains, 57 
Arizona, 310-314 
Arkansas, 340-341 
Arlington National Cemetery, 
99-101 

Asheville, 52-53 
Atlanta, 60-61 
Atlantic City, 123-126 
Augusta, 176 
Austin, 334-335 


Bakersfield, 293 
Baltimore, 106-110 
Bardstown, 202 
Barre, 181 
Bates, 220 
Baton Rouge, 82 
Battle Creek, 190 
Beaumont, 337 
Bedloe Island, 140 
Bellingham, 278 
Bennington, 181 
Benton, 232-233 
Bethel, 270-274 
Bethlehem, 110 
Bingham Canyon, 305-306 


Birmingham, 63-64 

Bisbee, 310 

Bismarck, 352-354 

Bloomington, 233 

Blue Ridge Mountains, 34, 43, 60 

Boise, 248 

Bonneville Dam, 282-283 
Boonville, 208 
Boston, 157-165 
Botetourt, Lord, 21 
Boulder Dam, 311-313 
Bristol, 154 
Brockton, 161 
Buffalo, 128-129 
Butte, 249 


Cairo, 232 
California, 286-302 
Cambridge, 163, 165 
Camden, 112 
Cape Cod Canal, 160 
Carlsbad Caverns, 320-323 
Carson City, 304 
Cascade Mountains, 254, 276 
Catskill Mountains, 142 
Cave of the Winds, 323 
Centralia, 233 
Charleston, S. C., 56-57 
Charleston, W. Va., 121 
Charlestown, 162 
Charlotte, 53-54 
Charlottesville, 44 
Chattahoochee River, 60 
Chattanooga, 84 
Chester, 110 
Cheyenne, 326-328 
Chicago, 220-231, 235-239 
Chicago River, 223-224 
Cincinnati, 188-189 
Clarksburg, 121 
Clearwater, 76 
Cleveland, 186-187 
Colorado, 323-326 


INDEX 


363 


Colorado River, 310 
Colorado Springs, 323 
Columbia, 54-56 
Columbia River, 281, 283 
Columbus, 187-188 
Concord, 165 
Congaree River, 55 
Connecticut, 148-154 
Connecticut River, 153 
Council Bluffs, 348 
Cumberland Mountains, 84 

Dallas, 329, 338-339 
Dalton, 162 
Davenport, 213 
Dayton, 188 
Decatur, 233 
Delaware, 118-119 
Delaware River, 118 
Denver, 323-326 
Des Moines, 212 
Detroit, 190-194 
Detroit River, 194 
Devil’s Tower, 351 
Dixon, 235 
Douglas, 266 
Duluth, 354-355 

Eddystone, 112 
Elgin, 235 
Ellis Island, 140 
El Paso, 334, 336 
Erie, 110 
Everglades, 75 

Fairbanks, 270 
Fairmont, 121 
Fall River, 162 
Florida, 65-76 
Fort McHenry, 108-109 
Fort Madison, 213 
Fort Riley, 346 
Fort Worth, 339 
Frankfort, 201-202 
Fredericksburg, 34-39 
French Lick, 197 
Fresno, 293 

Galena, 235 
Galveston, 336-337 


Garden of the Gods, 323 
Gary, 195 
Georgia, 57-62 

Glacier National Park, 251-253 
Glasgow, 204 
Gloucester, 163-164 
Governors Island, 140 
Grand Canyon, 310-311 
Grand Coulee Dam, 281-282 
Grand Forks, 354 
Grand Rapids, 194 
Great Falls, 249-250 
Great Salt Lake, 306 
Great Smoky Mountains, 84 
Greensboro, 54 
Greenwich, 148-150 
Gulfport, 76-77 

Hammond, 195 
Hampton, 45 
Hannibal, 208-209 
Harpers Ferry, 120 
Hartford, 153-154 
Haverhill, 161 
Helena, 249 
Henry, Patrick, 41-42 
Hodgenville, 202 
Hollywood, 296-297 
Holyoke, 161 
Hot Springs, 340-341 
Houlton, 174 
Houston, 329, 337 
Humboldt River, 302 
Huntington, 121 
Hyder, 261 

Idaho, 247-249 
Idaho Falls, 247 
Illinois, 213, 220-239 
Imperial Valley, 299 
Indiana, 195-200 
Indianapolis, 197-200 
Iowa, 209-214, 348 
Iowa City, 212-213 
Isle Royale, 190 
Isleta, 319-320 

Jackson, 78 
Jacksonville, 68 
Jamestown, 14-18 



364 


INDEX 


Janesville, 214 
Jefferson City, 208 
Jersey City, 140 
Johnstown, 110 
Juneau, 264-266 

Kalamazoo, 193 
Kansas, 344-346 
Kansas City, Kans., 344 
Kansas City, Mo., 208, 344 
Kearney, 122 
Kennebec River, 174,176 
Kentucky, 200-204 
Keokuk, 209 
Ketchikan, 258-261 
Key, Francis Scott, 108 
Key West, 74-75 
Kittery, 176 
Kitty Hawk, 48-49 
Knoxville, 84 

Lake Erie, 128, 184, 186-187, 194 
Lake Huron, 194 
Lakehurst, 122 

Lake Michigan, 190, 219, 221, 223, 
225, 227 

Lake Superior, 354 
Lake Tahoe, 304 
Lansing, 190 
Lawrence, 162 
Leavenworth, 346 
Lexington, Ky., 202 
Lexington, Mass., 165 
Lincoln, 347-348 
Little Rock, 341 
Long Beach, 297 
Los Angeles, 295 
Louisiana, 78-82 
Louisville, 201 
Lowell, 162 ' 

McGregor, 214 
Madison, 215-217 
Maine, 173-176 
Mammoth Cave, 203-204 
Manchester, 168, 171 
Manistee, 194 
Marquette, 190 
Martinsburg, 121 
Maryland, 104-110 


Massachusetts, 157-167 
Memphis, 84-86 
Menominee, 190 

Merrimack River, 160, 162, 168- 
169, 171 

Miami, Ariz., 310 
Miami, Fla., 72-73 
Michigan, 189-195 
Milford, 172 
Milwaukee, 219 
Minneapolis, 355-356 
Minnesota, 354-357 
Mississippi, 76-78 
Mississippi River, 78-79, 82-83, 
205, 208, 232 
Missouri, 205-208, 344 
Missouri River, 205, 348, 352 
Mobile, 64 

Monongahela River, 182 
Monroe, James, 35-36 
Montana, 249-253 
Monterey, 286 
Montgomery, 64 
Montpelier, 180 
Morgantown, 121 
Moundsville, 121 
Mount Franklin, 336 
Mount Hood, 284 
Mount Katahdin, 174 
Mount McKinley, 270 
Mount Rainier, 257, 279 
Mount Shasta, 286 
Mount Vernon, 101-103 
Muscle Shoals, 64 

Nashua, 213 
Nashville, 84 
Nebraska, 347-348 
Nevada, 302-305, 311-313 
Newark, 122-123 
New Bedford, 162 
New Brunswick, 123 
New Castle, 110 
New Hampshire, 168-173 
New Haven, 152-153 
New Jersey, 121-126 
New Mexico, 315-323 
New Orleans, 78-82 
Newport, 154 
Newport News, 45 



INDEX 


365 


New Salem, 233 
New York (state), 126-147 
New York City, 131-147 
Niagara Falls, 129-130 
Nome, 274 

North Carolina, 46-54 
North Dakota, 352-354 
Norwich, 151 


Oakland, 288 
Ocean Falls, 258 
Ohio, 184-189 

Ohio River, 182,184, 200, 232 
Okefenokee Swamp, 58 
Oklahoma, 341-343 
Oklahoma City, 342-343 
Olympia, 278 
Olympic Mountains, 254 
Omaha, 348 
Oregon, 282-285 
Ottawa, 234 


Palm Beach, 71 
Parkersburg, 121 
Pasadena, 297 
Pass Christian, 78 
Paterson, 122-123 
Pawtucket, 154, 156 
Pennsylvania, 110-117,182-184 
Pensacola, 66 
Peoria, 234 
Petersburg, 45 
Philadelphia, 110-117 
Phoenix, 313-314 
Pierre, 352 
Pikes Peak, 323-324 
Pittsburgh, 110,182-184 
Plymouth, Mass., 165-167 
Plymouth, N. H., 172 
Ponce de Leon, 69 
Port Arthur, 338 
Portland, Me., 174-176 
Portland, Ore., 282-285 
Potomac River, 95, 99 
Powell River, 276 
Prince Rupert, 275 
Princeton, 122 
Providence, 154-156 


Racine, 214 

Rainier National Park, 279-281 
Raleigh, 51-52 
Rapid City, 349-350 
Rappahannock River, 34 
Reading, 110 
Reno, 304 

Rhode Island, 154-156 
Richmond, 39-43 
Rochester, 128 
Rock Island, 213 
Rockland, 176 
Rome, 128 

Roosevelt Dam, 313-314 
Royal Gorge, 323 
Rushmore Mountain, 350 
Rutland, 181 


Sacramento, 287-288 

St. Augustine, 68-69 

St. Johnsbury, 181 

St. Johns River, 69 

St. Louis, 205-208 

St. Marys City, 105 

St. Paul, 355-357 

St. Petersburg, 76 

Salt Lake City, 306-309 

San Antonio, 329, 331-334 

San Antonio River, 333-334 

San Bernardino, 298 

San Diego, 298-299 

Sanford, 176 

San Francisco, 288-291 

San Marino, 297 

Santa Barbara, 293-294 

Santa Catalina, 298 

Santa Fe, 316-317 

Sault Sainte Marie, 190-191 

Savannah, 58-60 

Schenectady, 128 

Schuylkill River, 111-112 

Scranton, 110 

Seattle, 254-257, 276-277 

Sequoia National Park, 300-301 

Shenandoah National Park, 44 

Shenandoah Valley, 35, 44 

Shoshone Falls, 247 

Sierra Madre Mountains, 295 

Sierra Nevada Mountains, 300 



366 


INDEX 


Sitka, 268-269 
Skagway, 266-267 
South Bend, 195 
South Carolina, 54-57 
South Dakota, 349-352 
Spillville, 213-214 
Springfield, 233 
Syracuse, 128 

Tacoma, 257, 278-279 
Taku Glacier, 262-264 
Tallahassee, 65-67 
Tampa, 76 
Tennessee, 82-86 
Tennessee River, 64, 84 
Terre Haute, 195-196 
Texas, 329-339 
Toledo, 188-189 
Tonopah, 302 
Topeka, 346 
Trenton, 121 
Tucson, 314 
Tulsa, 342-343 
Twin Falls, 247 

Utah, 305-309 
Utica, 128 

Vancouver, 257 
Vandalia, 233 
Vermont, 176-181 
Vicksburg, 78 
Vincennes, 196-197 
Virginia, 9-45 


Wabash River, 195 
Warrior River, 64 
Washington (state), 254-257, 
276-282 

Washington, D. C., 87-99, 103 
Washington, George, 13-14, 35- 
39, 101-103 
Waterbury, 150 
Wenatchee, 279 
West Point, 147 
West Virginia, 119-121 
Wheeling, 120-121 
Whitehorse, 269-270 
White Mountains, 170, 172-173, 
175-176 
Whiting, 195 
Wichita, 345-346 
Williamsburg, 9-14, 20-33 
Williamsport, 110 
Wilmington, Del., 118-119 
Wilmington, N. C., 54 
Winchendon, 161 
Wisconsin, 214-219 
Wrangell, 261-262 
Wyoming, 240-247, 326-328, 351 

Yakima, 279 

Yellowstone National Park, 240- 
247 

York, 110 
Yorktown, 18 

Yosemite National Park, 300, 
302-303 

Youngstown, 184 



PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY 


KEY: a as ate; a as vacation; a, as add; a, as arm; a as ask; e as eve; 

5 as ^vent; 6 as 6nd; e as maker; i as ice; i as ill; ng as sing; o as old; 

6 as 6bey; 6 as for; 6 as Odd; oi as oil; do as food; do as foot; u as cube; 
0 as Unite; li as Mr; ii as iip; ii as menu; zh as z in azure. 


Albemarle (al'be-marl) 

Albuquerque (al'bti-kur'kd) 
Alcatraz (al'ka-tras') 

Apache (a-pach'd) 

Appalachian (ap'a-lach'I-an) 

Aroostook (a-rdos'tdbk) 

Aztec (az'tOk) 

Barre (bar'd) 

Baton Rouge (bat'On rddzh') 
Bimini (bim'i-ni) 

Biscayne Bay (bis-kan') 

Bodleian Library (b5d-le'an) 

Boise (boi'si) 

Bore, fitienne de (bo'ra', a'tySn' 
de) 

Botetourt, Lord (bOt'd-turt) 

Butte (but) 

Chattahoochee (chat'a-hdo'chd) 
Chattanooga (chat'a-ndd'ga) 
Chesapeake Bay (chds'a-pek) 
Cheyenne (shi-dn') 

Congaree (kOng'ga-re') 

Cuyahoga (ki-hOg'a) 

Des Moines (de moin') 

Dvorak, Anton (dvor'zhak, an'ton) 

El Paso (61 pas'6) 

Faneuil Hall (fan'’l) 

Franconia Notch (frang-ko'ni-a) 


Gainsborough (ganz'bur-6) 

Genesee (j6n'd-se') 

Ghetto (gdt'o) 

Gloucester (glbs'ter) 

Hodgenville (h6j'6n-vll) 

Houdon (dd'don') 

Houston (hus'Mn) 

mini (i-ll'ni) 

Isle Royale (il' roi'al) 

Isleta (es-la'ta) 

Juarez (hwa'ras) 

Juneau (jdd'no) 

Kalamazoo (kal'a-ma-zdd') 

Kearny (kar'n!) 

Keokuk (ke'6-kiik) 

Ketchikan (kdch'I-kan') 
Kinnickinnic (kin'i-kl-nik') 
Kuskokwim (k\is'k6-kwim) 

Louisville (Idd'Is-vil; Ido'i-vll) 

Manistee (man'Is-te') 

Mardi Gras (mar'dd gra) 

Margate City (mar'gat) 
Marquette (mar-kdt') 
Mediterranean (mdd 'i-td-ra'nd-^n) 
Menominee (md-n6m'I-ne) 

Mesabi Range (md-sa'bd) 


367 


368 


PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY 


Monongahela (m6-n6ng'ga-he'la) 
Montpelier (m6nt-pel'yer) 

Mount Katahdin (ka-ta'din) 

Narragansett Bay (nar'a-gan'sSt) 
New Orleans (or'le-^nz) 

Okefenokee Swamp (o'k^-fd-no'ke) 

Paterson (pat'er-siin) 

Pensacola (p6n'sa-ko'la) 

Phoenix (fe'niks) 

Ponce de Le6n (pon'tha da la-6n') 
Pottawattomies (p6t'a-w6t'6-mlz) 

Quinnipiac (kwIn'I-pI-Sk') 

Rappahannock (rap'a-han'iik) 

Rio Grande (re'6 gran'da) 

St. Croix (sant kroi') 

San Jos4 (san h6-sa') 

Santa Fe (san'ta fa') 

Sault Sainte Marie (sdo sant ma-re') 
Schenectady (sk6-n6k'ta-dl) 
Schuylkill (skdol'kil) 

Seminole (s6m'I-nol) 

Sequoia (s$-kwoi'a) 


Shoshone Falls (sh6-sho'n5) 
Sierra Madre (sl-6r'a ma'dra) 
Sierra Nevada (sl-6r'a n6-va'da) 
Sitka (sit'ka) 

Syracuse (sir'a-kus) 

Taku Glacier (ta'kdo') 
Tallahassee (tal'a-has'{5) 

Terre Haute (t6r'6 hot') 
Tonopah (to'no-pa') 

Triborough Bridge (tri-bur'6) 
Tucson (tdo-s6n') 

Ursuline Convent (ur'su-lln) 
Utica (u'tf-ka) 

Ventnor (vgnt'ner) 

Vincennes (vln-s6nz') 

Wasatch Range (wo's^ch) 
Wenatchee (we-nS,ch'6) 
Winchendon (win'ch6n-dun) 
Wrangell (rang'ggl) 

Yakima (yak'I-ma) 

Yaqui (ya'kS) 

Yazoo (yaz'do) 

Yosemite (y6-s6m'I-tS) 





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